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Leaving Las Vegas

Leaving Las Vegas

Drama · Romance · 1995

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.

Movie details

Leaving Las Vegas

“I love you... The way you are.”

1995 Drama · Romance 1h 51m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.3 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Leaving Las Vegas?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Mike Figgis

Written by

Mike Figgis

Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage

Ben Sanderson

Elisabeth Shue

Elisabeth Shue

Sera

Julian Sands

Julian Sands

Yuri

Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis

Peter

Steven Weber

Steven Weber

Marc Nussbaum

K

Kim Adams

Sheila

Emily Procter

Emily Procter

Debbie

Court is in session

Put Leaving Las Vegas on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.