A lot of people-correctly-praise the three central performances of this film. Macy has made a career out of playing such hapless losers; Bernie is the essential Macy protagonist. Bello is understated gloriously in this film. And of course Baldwin rightly got an Oscar nomination for this role. Shelly is a charismatic morally bankrupt mobster for the ages. The film's atmosphere of nostalgia for the bad old days comes through in large part because of Baldwin and the other two central performances.
But to me the film is lovely and compelling because I think the script manages to tell a tale about the vulgarities of luck, circumstance. A central image in stoicism is a goat (or dog) being dragged behind a chariot as a stand in for a person. The goat as a little bit of liberty in moving left or right but they are going the general direction the chariot is going; much like how a person gets swept up by their circumstances. The characters here-in a small intimate way-are at the mercy of luck, circumstance. They are the goats tied to that chariot. The film ends with a dues ex machina because the point is we are at the mercy of the gods.
I think some people might find the film a bit ham-fisted in how Bernie's luck is dramatized but I found that to be a really charming aspect; things like the coffee creamer coming and going just added to the film's joys. The script takes a somewhat cheesy premise and builds a intelligent and authentic story on it. Really this is a very realistic film despite its central conceit.
This is most apparent in the sexual, love making scenes. There is a great naturalism to all of them; they are not eroticized. They are not included for a puerile reason. They-like the film itself-are deeply intimate. This is probably my favorite film set in Los Vegas.
But to me the film is lovely and compelling because I think the script manages to tell a tale about the vulgarities of luck, circumstance. A central image in stoicism is a goat (or dog) being dragged behind a chariot as a stand in for a person. The goat as a little bit of liberty in moving left or right but they are going the general direction the chariot is going; much like how a person gets swept up by their circumstances. The characters here-in a small intimate way-are at the mercy of luck, circumstance. They are the goats tied to that chariot. The film ends with a dues ex machina because the point is we are at the mercy of the gods.
I think some people might find the film a bit ham-fisted in how Bernie's luck is dramatized but I found that to be a really charming aspect; things like the coffee creamer coming and going just added to the film's joys. The script takes a somewhat cheesy premise and builds a intelligent and authentic story on it. Really this is a very realistic film despite its central conceit.
This is most apparent in the sexual, love making scenes. There is a great naturalism to all of them; they are not eroticized. They are not included for a puerile reason. They-like the film itself-are deeply intimate. This is probably my favorite film set in Los Vegas.