Plot Summary

Ben Sanderson, a hard-core alcoholic, drives to Las Vegas after being fired from his film production job and divesting himself of all possessions. He plans to drink himself to death within four weeks. He meets Sera, a prostitute; they fall in love and he moves in with her. Each pledges not to try to change the other's chosen destiny, and they carry on a romance over Ben's last weeks.

Leaving Las Vegas is one of cinema's greatest love stories,which could follow in a line with True Romance,Badlands,Bonnie and Clyde,The People vs.Larry Flynt and Show Me Love(which I haven't yet seen,but have a gut instinct about). Leaving Las Vegas is a story about unconditional love-the 'i'll accept you no matter what' kind of deal. He's a drunk,she's a hooker,but as the couple trust each other completely they don't do anything to change these facts,despite sometimes being pushed to the limits. The movie is bleak,dark,darkly funny at times and the love story isn't exactly beautiful-due to it's incredible realism. The characters are living hard lives and there are no lighthearted moments in the movie-but despite this,the couple find something in each other that is hard for us as outsiders to understand,but I couldn't help but feel somewhat touched by the way the relationship was acted out. Elisabeth Shue as Sera,was wonderful but the movie truly does belong to Nicolas Cage as Ben-who moved me to tears more than once with his astounding performance as the drunk on a mission to drink himself to death but along the way,wins the hooker's heart. A brief two words to sum up this movie as a whole-pure genius.