Steve Buscemi as the not-quite saintly John of Las Vegas
FILM REVIEW: ST. JOHN OF LAS VEGAS
By Miranda Inganni
John has lots of luck. Problem is, it’s all bad.
When John (Steve Buscemi) decides it’s time to leave Las Vegas and give up his gambling addiction, he moves to Albuquerque, NM, to create a “normal” life. He has a house in a gated community (where even his pass card fails to work), and a job at an insurance company. Succumbing to the temptation of scratch tickets and a super jackpot instant win game, John obviously hasn’t given up his monetary mistress. But he’s landed a desk job at Townsand Insurance and has fallen for his cubicle neighbor, Jill (the underutilized and shallowly written Sarah Silverman). While he thinks his life might be a sure thing, he sidelined when his boss, Mr. Townsand (Peter Dinklage) bets on John to accompany Virgil (Romy Malco) on a fraud investigation case in, you guessed it, Las Vegas.
Along the way, John and Virgil, who are ill-suited for each other, encounter a few off-beat characters, including wheelchair-bound Tasty D Lite (Emmanuelle Chriqui) – who filed the insurance claim – a naked Ned (Tim Blake Nelson), and Smitty, the Human Torch (John Cho), among others.
As the two fraud investigators close in on the truth, Virgil throws John a curveball, which forces him to question everything that has lead them to this point and what he believes about his “normal” job and being a gambling man.
First time writer/director Hue Rhode’s film is watchable, but goofy (and not in the good way). The characters are underdeveloped, and while the actors try their best to create a full house, if you will, they crap out; Jill and John are seemingly in love after a brief tryst in the ladies room at the office; John perseveres while he’s repeatedly shot down by Virgil; Virgil is meant to be the heavy, but it’s John who seems to have the upper hand with everyone they encounter.
All in all, St. John of Las Vegas is 80-odd minutes of quite good actors doing their best with a mediocre script. The titular John doesn’t seem a saint, but that’s left for the audience to determine when he makes a certain agreement with Jill. The soundtrack is the best bet as the most interesting aspect of the movie, with Cajmere’s “Percolator” being a highlight.
I wouldn’t place my money on this film.
