Leaving Las Vegas

Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 romantic drama film about a relationship between a suicidal alcoholic and a prostitute from Las Vegas, starring Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue. Ben Sanderson is a late-stage alcoholic who has hit rock bottom. Trashing all personal and professional ties to his L.A. existence, he sets off for the lights of Vegas on a mission: to drink himself to death. There he meets Sera, a beautiful, seen-it-all hooker. From the moment Ben and Sera connect, they form a unique bond based upon unconditional acceptance and mutual respect that will change each of them forever. The film was directed and written by Mike Figgis, based on a semi-autobiographical novel by John O'Brien. Two weeks after the production of the film had started, O'Brien committed suicide. A halt of the project was considered, but work on the film was continued as a memorial of sorts.


Leaving Las Vegas was filmed in super 16mm instead of 35 mm film format, which is the basic film gauge most commonly used for motion pictures, although 16 mm is relatively common for art house films. After a limited release in the United States on October 27, 1995, the film received high critical praise. It made its nation-wide release on February 9, 1996, with moderate box office receipts, presumably because the film did not have a big marketing scheme, and it was fairly unknown until after the Academy Awards Ceremony of 1996. The critical success of the film did not surface immediately, however it was one of the most popular films for rental and sale in 1996 and 1997.


Nicolas Cage received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in this film. Elisabeth Shue was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the film also received nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director (Figgis).


Ben Sanderson (Cage) is a Hollywood agent who has lost everything because of his alcoholism. He loses his job, his family, and decides to commit suicide by alcohol consumption in Las Vegas. After arriving, he meets Sera (Shue), a prostitute, and a deep friendship and understanding develops between them.


The movie begins with Ben in a restaurant. He borrows some money from his colleague Peter (Richard Lewis), and then proceeds directly to a bar and starts drinking. He attempts to pick up a pretty girl (Valeria Golino) and fails. After leaving the bar he visits a prostitute, and succeeds only in getting his wedding ring stolen. He is fired from his job for alcohol related issues and is given a large severance package. When his boss asks him what he is going to do next, Ben responds "I thought I'd move out to Las Vegas". He goes home and starts emptying his house by stuffing bedding in garbage bags, and creating a bonfire in his backyard on which he burns photographs, clothes, passport and other possessions. He then leaves for Las Vegas. As he drives his BMW drunkenly down the Las Vegas Strip, he almost hits a woman in the crosswalk (who turns out to be Sera) who chastises him verbally. Ben checks himself into a sleazy motel called The Whole Year Inn. However, as he looks at this the wording changes to "The Hole You're In".


Sera (Elisabeth Shue) is a Las Vegas prostitute who works for a pimp, Yuri Butso (Julian Sands), a Latvian immigrant. Yuri and Sera "share a volatile relationship where Yuri is the dominator and Sera is the masochist." Polish mobsters are after Yuri for an unknown matter; therefore, Yuri breaks his relationship with Sera in fear that the Poles may hurt her. It frees Sera to continue to build her relationship with Ben.


On his second day in Las Vegas, Ben finds Sera, on the same street where he met her, introduces himself and offers her $500 to go to his room for an hour. Sera agrees to go to his room, but she gets confused when Ben does not want to have sex with her. Instead, they just talk, and in the process they create an odd relationship with each other. Their relationship, however, is ultimately doomed; Sera has to promise Ben that she will never ask him to stop drinking, and Ben is not allowed to criticize Sera's occupation. At first the two are generally stable. Ben states that he is "totally at ease with this (Sera's prostitution)." However, after spending some time together, they both become more and more frustrated with the other's behavior. Over time, Sera attempts to get Ben to eat healthily but Ben refuses to even notice these actions as he stumbles for more alcohol. Finally, Sera becomes so fed up with Ben's alcoholism that she begs him to see a doctor. Ben, furious but far too intoxicated to express his feelings, goes out and brings another prostitute (played by Mariska Hargitay) back to Sera's house. Sera returns home to find them together and throws Ben out. Shortly afterwards, she is raped and beaten by three teenagers, and the injuries she sustains make her occupation publicly obvious. After being evicted, Sera receives a telephone call from Ben, who is on his deathbed. She goes to visit 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.


Mike Figgis masterminded the film, not only directing but writing the script and composing the score. In April 1994, shortly before preproduction of the film began, John O'Brien, author of the semi-autobiographical novel this film is based on, committed suicide. As a result, the production was stopped temporarily. Throughout production, Figgis had problems because permits were not issued for some street scenes. This caused him to film some scenes in one shot to avoid any police contact. Cage researched his character by binge drinking in Dublin for two weeks and had a friend to videotape him under the influence so he could study his speech patterns. He later admitted that "it was one of the most enjoyable pieces of research I've ever had to do for a part."


The film was shot in Burbank, California, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Laughlin, Nevada, and Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. Due to the low budget - approximately $4,000,000 - Figgis filmed in the super 16mm format. The film had a limited release on October 27, 1995. After receiving high praise from critics and four Academy Award nominations, the film was released nationwide February 9, 1996. The United Artists company distributed the film in North America, while RCV Film Distribution with Atalanta Filmes distributed the film in Europe and in Australia 21st Century Film Corporation distributed the film.


Leaving Las Vegas was received well by critics, scoring 82 metapoints out of 100. Critics such as Roger Ebert from Chicago Sun-Times and Rick Groen from Canadian The Globe and Mail gave the film high marks. Ebert wrote, "They (the characters) are the drunk and the whore with a heart of gold. Cage and Shue make these clichés into unforgettable people." Ebert named the film 'best of 1995' and included it with his 'best of the decade' list (Leaving Las Vegas was #8). Leonard Klady from Variety said Leaving Las Vegas was "certainly among a scant handful of films that have taken an unflinching view of dependency." On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received 94% overall approval out of 31 reviews. Overall, the film was a success at the box office grossing $32,029,928.


The video cassettes and DVD of the film were distributed by MGM. The video cassettes were distributed on November 12, 1996 in two languages, English and Russian, while the DVD was distributed on January 1, 1998 in English for USA and Canada only, later Australian and UK editions were released. The DVD contains a supplemental "Hidden Page" menu feature. The film is also released on LaserDisc and HD DVD.


The success of Leaving Las Vegas has had a moderate effect on the media. It spawned a direct-spoof, Eating Las Vegas, about a binge eater who travels to Las Vegas to eat himself to death, and Leaving Las Vegas is also alluded to in the addiction documentary Super Size Me (2004).


The following is a list of songs featured in the original soundtrack of the film.