Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his drinking, arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death. There, he meets and forms an uneasy friendship and non-interference pact with prostitute Sera.
Run Time
111 min
Aspect Ratio
1.85 : 1
Rating Details
Rated R for strong sexuality and language, violence and pervasive alcohol abuse.
Genre
Drama, Romance
Language
English, Russian
Keyword
Death, Prostitute, Alcoholic, Bar, Fired
Movie Rating
Sound Mix
Dolby
Colour
Color
Film Type
Feature
Film Class
Addiction Drama, Romantic Drama, Psychological Drama
Themes
Alcoholism, Star-Crossed Lovers, Suicide, Fired or Laid-Off, Prostitutes
Ben Sanderson (Cage) is a Hollywood screenwriter whose alcoholism costs him his job, family, and friends. With nothing left, he goes to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. As he drives drunkenly down the Las Vegas Strip, he almost hits a woman in the crosswalk, Sera (Shue), who chastises him. Ben checks into a sleazy motel called The Whole Year Inn. As he looks at this the wording changes to "The Hole You're In." Meanwhile, Sera is a prostitute for an abusive pimp, Yuri Butso (Julian Sands), a Latvian immigrant. Polish mobsters are after Yuri, so he breaks his relationship with Sera in fear that the Poles may hurt her, and is murdered (off-screen) shortly afterwards.
On his second day in Las Vegas, Ben meets Sera, on the street where he first met her, introduces himself and offers $500 to go to his room for an hour. Sera agrees to go to his room, but Ben does not want sex. Instead, they talk and create an odd relationship. Their relationship is doomed; Sera has to promise Ben she will never ask him to stop drinking, and Ben is not allowed to criticize Sera's occupation. At first the two are stable, as Ben is "totally at ease with this (Sera's prostitution)." However, each becomes frustrated with the other's behavior. Sera attempts to get Ben to eat but Ben stumbles for more alcohol. Sera begs him to see a doctor. Ben, furious but intoxicated, brings another prostitute (Mariska Hargitay) to Sera's house. Sera returns home and throws Ben out. Shortly afterward, she is raped and beaten by three college students, and the injuries make her occupation obvious. After being evicted, Sera receives a call from Ben, who is on his deathbed. She visits Ben and they have sex. They fall asleep, and when Ben wakes up, he looks across at Sera, who is lying on top of him, and dies while holding her as she sleeps. His last word is "wow".
Wikipedia Text
Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 romantic drama film directed and written by Mike Figgis, based on a semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by John O'Brien. Nicolas Cage stars as a suicidal alcoholic who has ended his personal and professional life to drink himself to death in Las Vegas. While there, he forms a relationship with a hardened prostitute, played by Elisabeth Shue, which forms the center of the film. O'Brien committed suicide two weeks after production of the film started. A halt was considered, but work continued as a tribute.
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