Whether intended as a satiric homage to Dante’s Inferno, an absurdist take on corporate America, or an offbeat romantic comedy, Saint John of Las Vegas fails to deliver on its promise of comedy. Yes, it’s satirical, absurd, and offbeat, but this comedy film is not particularly funny.
Saint John of Las Vegas: A Journey Through Hell
Steve Buscemi stars as John, a compulsive gambler attempting to escape his former life in Las Vegas by working at a routine job at an auto insurance company in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His annoyingly perky co-worker, Jill (Sarah Silverman), pressures him for a commitment after they share a sexual encounter in the women’s room handicapped stall.
When John asks his boss (Peter Dinklage) for a raise and promotion, he gets sent on an assignment with the company’s top fraud investigator, Virgil (Romany Malco), who grudgingly shares his knowledge, car, and per diem with the aspiring investigator. Their assignment takes them just outside Las Vegas, among the fringe community of strange people and places as John passes through the various gates of fraud investigational “hell” in his search for the truth -- and the raise and promotion.
He interviews (and pays for the services of) a wheelchair-bound stripper ( Emmanuelle Chriqui), meets an aggressive nudist (Tim Blake Nelson), and questions a human torch from the carnival (John Cho). No one seems to be telling the truth or cooperating with John in his quest, including Virgil, his partner and guide.
Steve Buscemi Stars in a Surreal Look at Life and Love
From first-time writer-director Hue Rhodes, Saint John of Las Vegas takes a surreal look at corporate America, love and romance, and various types of sinners loosely using the Inferno analogy. While this ambitious idea proved interesting enough to attract an exciting cast of eclectic actors (especially the delightfully sleazy Buscemi), the direction fails to elicit the laughs.
The writing introduces too many characters and too many themes without delving deeply enough to provide any resonating emotions in the viewer. The characters have no background or motivations; their abrupt entrances and exits have no meaning. This lack of purpose directly results in lack of laughs. Without knowledge of the characters or caring much about them, scenes rely on surreal situation comedy and non-sequitur dialogue alone to add humor. Unfortunately, absurdity won’t be enough to satisfy most comedy movie lovers.
Saint John of Las Vegas
- An ex-gambler now working for an insurance company travels with a co-worker to Las Vegas to debunk an accident claim.
- Starring Steve Buscemi, Romany Malco, Sarah Silverman, Peter Dinklage, Emmanuelle Chriqui, John Cho, Tim Blake Nelson, Jesse Garcia
- Director: Hue Rhodes
- Writers: Hugh Rhodes (screenplay); Dante Alighieri (story)
- Run Time: 85 minutes
- Rating: R (for language and some nudity)
- 2/5 – Not so good
To see a trailer for Saint John of Las Vegas and to learn more about the film, visit the official website.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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