"Saint John of Las Vegas" is a new comedic drama that suffers from the fact that it is neither funny nor dramatic in the slightest. Although writer and director Hue Rhodes tries to mimic classic Coen Brothers films of this genre with his attempt at dry black humor, the film's lack of plot and character development ultimately leads to its demise.
The film follows John Alighieri (Steve Buscemi), a man who suffers miserably from being both a lonely loser and a compulsive gambler. After throwing away all his money in Vegas, John is forced to start his life over.
Hoping to change his gambling habits, John chooses to take a simple job working at an auto insurance company in New Mexico. Just as he is settling into a more normal lifestyle, John's boss lures him on mission to go to Las Vegas to investigate a potential fraudulent car accident. Tempted by the potential for a promotion and a cushy corner office, John takes the offer and hopes his gambling past will not catch up to him when he returns to Sin City.
The boss sends John and the mysterious, aggressive Virgil (Romany Malco), the company's top fraud debunker, to Las Vegas for the investigation. The two men head out on the road, forming an uneasy bond that soon develops into a predictable camaraderie.
While making their way to Vegas, the double team runs into a few odd characters and scenarios, to say the least. From interviewing a wheelchair−bound stripper and running into a group of nudists at a national park to trying to break into a junkyard to examine the car in question, things end up getting pretty out of hand.
"Saint John of Las Vegas" just isn't worth betting on. The only thing that the film has going for it is its short run time. At only 85 minutes, "Saint John" is, luckily, quick and to the point. What that point may be, however, is definitely questionable.
"Saint John" falters miserably, with humor that is drier than the Las Vegas desert. There are a few dream sequences that add little to the plot or development of the protagonist. Overall, the whole film drags along with choppy, incongruous scenes.
The usually reliable Steve Buscemi plays John without much conviction. His character remains flat and lacks emotion from beginning to end. While this strategy may have worked with a better story and better−developed characters, it fails in "Saint John" because John has no redeeming qualities to make the audience care about him.
Co−star Sarah Silverman does a notably better job of playing the oddly seductive office flirt, Jill. Fortunately for the film, Silverman's comedic ease and silly nature bode well for her small supporting role. Emmanuelle Chriqui also adds some brief eye candy as a stripper who filed the insurance claim for the car accident. Chriqui's performance definitely proves she is much better at her day job of playing Sloan McQuewick on HBO's "Entourage."
Malco, best known as Steve Carell's colorful coworker in "The 40−Year−Old Virgin"(2005), is by far the lone standout actor in the film. His character, Virgil, is deadpan and erratic, which earns him most of the film's few laugh−out−loud moments. If only Buscemi were on top of his game, Malco and Buscemi would have made a great one−two−punch comedic duo.
For most of "Saint John," Rhodes lets the uninteresting narrative unravel too quickly; he also tries too hard when he inserts flashbacks throughout the film that tediously connect in the end. Ultimately, with such a forgettable script and underdeveloped plotline, Rhodes fails to give audiences the chance to get attached to the characters and actually care about what is happening in the film.
All things considered, "Saint John of Las Vegas" is an artistic gamble that ultimately falls flat. Everything from the acting to the script to the cinematography is too emotionless and boring for even the most desperate of moviegoers to waste their money on.
