MovieChat Forums > Leaving Las Vegas (1996) Discussion > Gary Oldmans critique on Leaving Las Veg...

Gary Oldmans critique on Leaving Las Vegas

posted 12 years ago by Trent-Easton
3 replies | jump to latest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN43MmnWMw8

He doesn't go into depth about LLV as a movie (~one minute in or so), but in the context of what he's saying; talking about alcoholism and his film Nil by mouth (which centers around alcoholism) how do you regard his critique on the "Hollywoodesque" nature of the description of certain forms of abuse? Obviously Oldman didn't like how alcoholism was handled in LLV, i.e the specific depiction of it, but concerning realism, was it genuine or a little over the top?

[–] L_Allyn83 11 years ago

I don't think the movie is portraying alcoholism but rather how Ben, who is an alcoholic, is planning to end is life the very way he's lived it, by drinking. I don't think this fits the bill of a typical Hollywood alcoholic movie. "Flight" or "When a Man Loves a Woman" with Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia. Those are hollywoodesque movies. Glorifying use, struggle and recovery would be another way to "hollywoodesque" a addiction movie.

Movies like LLV or Trainspotting. These are movies that present realism. If anything this movie takes on a "real" life aspect in the fact it doesn't have a happy ending.

[–] Ite 11 years ago

I agree about this and what about pissing the bed? Surprised they didn't show Cage in a pool of piss hey it happened to me.

[–] WhenGreyjoysCry 11 years ago

This has been discussed here before. In the one sense, he is right that end -stage alcoholics are not charming...they are bloated, their breath stinks, and as he points out "bleed from their *beep* But as has been pointed out, this movie wasn't a PBS documentary on alcoholism, but a story about a man determined to drink himself to death.. His descent into that darkness and his relationship with the seraphim accompanying him.

Having said that, if you can set aside the fact Nic Cage was way too healthy looking to be an end-stage alcoholic, many parts of it were realistic. The shakes, dry heaving, not being able to eat, getting kicked out of places, breaking things....all parts of what it is really like. I should know, I *almost* drank myself to death. My liver did fail and I stopped at the penultimate moment. Gone just a few days longer and I likely wouldn't be here typing this.

“There are no ordinary moments. There is always something going on.” – Peaceful Warrior