Honeymoon in Vegas

Last updated

Honeymoon in Vegas
Honeymoon In Vegas.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Andrew Bergman
Written byAndrew Bergman
Produced byMike Lobell
Starring
Cinematography William A. Fraker
Edited by Barry Malkin
Music by David Newman
Production
companies
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • August 28, 1992 (1992-08-28)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million
Box office$35 million

Honeymoon in Vegas is a 1992 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Andrew Bergman and starring James Caan, Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Sarah Jessica Parker, James Caan, Pat Morita, and Peter Boyle. It also stars country singer-songwriter Travis Tritt in his acting debut.

Contents

Plot

Private eye Jack Singer swore to his mother on her deathbed that he would never marry. His girlfriend Betsy wants to get married and start a family, and he proposes a quick Las Vegas marriage. They check into the Bally's Casino Resort.

Before the wedding, however, a wealthy professional gambler, Tommy Korman, notices Betsy's striking resemblance to his beloved late wife, Donna. He arranges a crooked poker game that prompts Jack to borrow $65,000 after being dealt a straight flush, only to lose to the gambler's higher straight flush; Tommy offers to erase the debt in exchange for spending the weekend with Betsy.

After Tommy states he will be a perfect gentleman, the desperate couple consents. Jack discovers that Tommy has taken Betsy to his vacation home in Kauai. The gambler asks his taxi driver friend, Mahi Mahi, to keep Jack as far as possible from him and Betsy. Jack discovers this and steals the taxi. He sees Betsy outside the Kauai Club where he is attacked by Tommy and arrested. Jack's dentist friend, Sally Molars, bails Jack out of jail. Mahi Mahi meets Jack outside and admits that Tommy left for Las Vegas with Betsy and has convinced her to marry him. Mahi races Jack to the airport. Betsy decides she cannot go through with the wedding and escapes from Tommy.

Meanwhile, after changing many planes and finding himself stuck in San Jose, Jack tries frantically to find a flight to Las Vegas. He joins a group about to depart for Las Vegas but discovers mid-flight that they are the Utah chapter of the "Flying Elvises" – a skydiving team of Elvis impersonators. Jack realizes he has to skydive from 3,000 feet to get to Betsy. Jack overcomes his fear. He lands and spots Betsy, ruining Tommy's plans.

Jack and Betsy are married in a small Las Vegas chapel with the Flying Elvises as guests. Jack is wearing a white illuminated jumpsuit and Betsy is in a stolen showgirl outfit.

Cast

Production

Director and writer Andrew Bergman said about the film, "It wasn't based on anything. I wanted to do a boy-girl story, and in my perverse fashion, it turned out to be this." [1] The film's budget was $25 million. [2]

Filming began in August 1991, [3] and was underway in Las Vegas by that September. [4] Bally's Casino Resort was among the filming locations in Las Vegas. [3] Las Vegas' Chapel of the Bells wedding chapel was also used for filming. [5] Other filming locations included New York, and Culver Studios in California. [3]

Filming in Kauai was concluded in November 1991. [3] Among the filming locations in Kauai was the Inn on the Cliffs restaurant, located at the Westin Kauai Hotel. [6] Filming also took place at Kauai's National Tropical Botanical Garden. [7] A house on Anini Beach was used as Tommy Korman's Hawaiian residence. [7] [8] The film was initially rated R for language, and was edited to instead receive a PG-13 rating. [3]

Release

A premiere event was held for the film at Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on August 25, 1992. [9] The film was released theatrically on August 28, 1992. [3]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Honeymoon in Vegas grossed $35.2 million at the box office, against a budget of $25 million [2] It opened at Number 1, and spent its first five weeks in the Top 10 at the domestic box office. [2]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 64% of 36 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10.The website's consensus reads: "Honeymoon in Vegas is a light screwball comedy that has just about what you expect (and nothing you don't)." [10] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [11]

Awards and nominations

At the 50th Golden Globe Awards, the film was nominated for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy, while Nicolas Cage was nominated for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. [12]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed mainly of covers of Elvis Presley songs performed by country and pop/rock artists. [13] The film is scored by David Newman.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [14] Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg

Track listing

  1. "All Shook Up" – Billy Joel
  2. "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" – Ricky Van Shelton
  3. "Love Me Tender" – Amy Grant
  4. "Burning Love" – Travis Tritt
  5. "Heartbreak Hotel" – Billy Joel
  6. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" – Bryan Ferry
  7. "Suspicious Minds" – Dwight Yoakam
  8. "(You're the) Devil in Disguise" – Trisha Yearwood
  9. "Hound Dog" – Jeff Beck and Jed Leiber
  10. "That's All Right" – Vince Gill
  11. "Jailhouse Rock" – John Mellencamp
  12. "Blue Hawaii" – Willie Nelson
  13. "Can't Help Falling in Love" – Bono

Chart performance

Chart (1992)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums4
U.S. Billboard 200 [15] 18
Canadian RPM Country Albums6
Canadian RPM Top Albums30

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [16] Platinum100,000^
United States (RIAA) [17] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other tracks featured in the film but not included on the soundtrack include "Viva Las Vegas" by Bruce Springsteen, "Jailhouse Rock", "That's All Right", "It's Now or Never" by Elvis Presley, and "La Donna è Mobile" by Franco Bonisolli. [18]

Stage adaptation

Bergman says when he finished the film he thought it might make a good musical. He was distracted making movies but then had open heart surgery in 2001. "When you have open-heart surgery, you say, what do I really want to do? What haven't I done? I thought it'd be great to do a musical." [1]

Jason Robert Brown, a composer, had always wanted to do Honeymoon as a musical and wrote some songs on spec. He and Bergman agreed to collaborate. "We certainly were looking to do a real book musical that isn't really done much anymore," said Bergman. We wanted the sound to be of the '60s and '70s—not that it's a throwback, but we wanted that sound. We wanted to be brassy, come and love us kind of show." [1]

A big change from the movie was the character of the mother was kept alive. "Having her recur is a great thing for the show," said Bergman. "It keeps her spirit alive and it keeps his mishigas alive. That was a real change." [1]

A musical stage version of the movie was written by Jason Robert Brown (music and lyrics) and Andrew Bergman (book). A Broadway-bound production was expected to debut in Toronto in November 2012, starring Tony Danza as Tommy Korman. [19] However, the Toronto premiere was canceled, [20] and production was transferred to the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey instead with Danza remaining. The Paper Mill production opened on September 26, 2013, and ran through October 27. [21] The musical began previews on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre on November 18, 2014, and opened officially on January 15, 2015. Direction was by Gary Griffin with choreography by Denis Jones. The cast featured Tony Danza, Rob McClure, and Brynn O'Malley, who were also in the Paper Mill production. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann-Margret</span> Swedish-American actress and singer (born 1941)

Ann-Margret Olsson, credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress, singer, and dancer with a career spanning seven decades. Initially gaining notoriety in 1961 as a singer with a sultry, vibrant contralto voice, she quickly rose to Hollywood stardom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elvis impersonator</span> Musician who performs in the style of Elvis Presley

An Elvis impersonator is an entertainer who impersonates or copies the look and sound of American musician and rock singer Elvis Presley. Professional Elvis impersonators, commonly known as Elvis tribute artists (ETAs), work all over the world as entertainers, and such tribute acts remain in great demand due to the iconic status of Elvis Presley. In addition, there were several radio stations that exclusively feature Elvis impersonator material. Some of these impersonators go to Graceland Memphis, Tennessee on the anniversary of Presley's death to pay tribute to the beloved artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Danza</span> American actor (born 1951)

Tony Danza is an American actor and retired professional boxer. He is known for co-starring in the television series Taxi (1978–1983) and Who's the Boss? (1984–1992), for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and four Golden Globe Awards. In 1998, Danza won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series for his work on the 1997 sitcom The Tony Danza Show. He has also appeared in films such as The Hollywood Knights (1980), Going Ape! (1981), She's Out of Control (1989), Angels in the Outfield (1994), Crash (2004), and Don Jon (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Caan</span> American actor (1940–2022)

James Edmund Caan was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in The Godfather (1972) – a performance that earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He received a motion-picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Tune</span> American actor (born 1939)

Thomas James Tune is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won ten Tony Awards, the National Medal of Arts, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Robert Brown</span> American songwriter

Jason Robert Brown is an American musical theatre composer, lyricist, and playwright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics. He is the recipient of three Tony Awards for his work on Parade and The Bridges of Madison County.

<i>Viva Las Vegas</i> 1964 film by George Sidney

Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American rock and roll musical film directed by George Sidney, written by Sally Benson, choreographed by David Winters, and starring Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, Cesare Danova, William Demarest and Nicky Blair. Set in Las Vegas, Nevada, the film is about two competing race car drivers who also compete for the same girl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Caan</span> American actor (born 1976)

Scott Andrew Caan is an American actor, director, photographer, writer, and former rapper. He received his breakthrough role in Ocean's Eleven as Turk Malloy, whom he played in the Ocean's trilogy, and starred as Detective Danny "Danno" Williams in the CBS television series Hawaii Five-0 (2010–2020), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Caan had a recurring role as manager Scott Lavin in the HBO television series Entourage (2009–2011). In the 1990s, he was a rapper and was a part of hip hop group The Whooliganz with The Alchemist, under the pseudonym Mad Skillz.

Andrew Bergman is an American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. His best-known films include Blazing Saddles, The In-Laws, The Freshman and Striptease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daphne Rubin-Vega</span> American musician, actor (born 1969)

Daphne Rubin-Vega is an American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for originating the roles of Mimi Marquez in the 1996 premiere of the Broadway musical Rent and Lucy in the 2007 premiere of the Off-Broadway play Jack Goes Boating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural depictions of Elvis Presley</span>

Elvis Presley has inspired artistic and cultural works since he entered the national consciousness. From that point, interest in his personal and public life has never stopped. Some scholars have studied many aspects of his profound cultural influence. Billboard historian Joel Whitburn declared Presley the "#1 act of the Rock era".

Luckytown is a 2000 film starring Kirsten Dunst, Vincent Kartheiser, Luis Guzmán, and James Caan. The film was written by Brendan Beseth, and produced and directed by Paul Nicolas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Opel</span> American singer and actress (born 1956)

Nancy Carol Opel is an American singer and actress, known primarily for her work on Broadway. She was nominated for the 2002 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for originating the role of Penelope Pennywise in the musical Urinetown.

<i>The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public</i> Musical by Carol Hall

The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public is a musical with a book by Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is a sequel to the 1978 musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

<i>Honeymoon in Vegas</i> (musical) Musical by Jason Robert Brown

Honeymoon in Vegas is a musical with a book by Andrew Bergman and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. The musical is based on the 1992 movie of the same name which Bergman also wrote and directed. The musical had its world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse and premiered on Broadway in January 2015.

Rob McClure is an American actor and singer, best known for his work on the Broadway stage.

Clearance Giddens is an Elvis impersonator called "Black Elvis". He performs sporting a pompadour, sideburns, and bright red jumpsuit. Giddens' Black Elvis act regularly appeared on national TV programs in the 1990s, and he was cast as Black Elvis in the 1992 film Honeymoon in Vegas.

Catherine Ricafort is an American actress, singer, software engineer, and entrepreneur. Ricafort has appeared in several Broadway productions, including Allegiance, the 2013 production of Cinderella, Mamma Mia!, Disaster! and Honeymoon in Vegas. Ricafort also appeared on NBC's TheSing-Off, in season 2, as part of the group, The Backbeats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Jackson impersonator</span>

Impersonators of American entertainer Michael Jackson work all over the world as entertainers, and such tribute acts remain in great demand due to the enduring popularity of Jackson.

A Tom Jones impersonator is someone who impersonates or imitates the look and sound of musician Tom Jones. Professional Tom Jones impersonators or Tom Jones tribute artists, perform all over the world as entertainers. Similarly to Elvis Presley and his impersonators, they offer an experience of having the next best thing.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Snetiker, Marc (January 9, 2015). "Andrew Bergman on writing 'Blazing Saddles,' 'Striptease,' 'Honeymoon in Vegas' and more". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Honeymoon in Vegas". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved April 22, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)". American Film Institute . Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Holiday in Hyannisport: A new woman in JFK Jr.'s life". USA Today . September 3, 1991.
  5. ↑ "How to Get Married in Las Vegas". Yahoo! . August 12, 2016. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  6. ↑ Gordon, William A. (1995). Shot on This Site: A Traveler's Guide to the Places and Locations Used to Film Famous Movies and TV Shows. Citadel Press. p. 239. ISBN   978-0-8065-1647-9 . Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Noland, Eric (December 21, 2003). "Kauai and the silver screen". Los Angeles Daily News . Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  8. ↑ Gardner, Terry (October 23, 2011). "Kauai remains a popular film location". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  9. ↑ Higgins, Bill (August 27, 1992). "Viva Las Vegas! And Elvis!". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Honeymoon in Vegas". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 22, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  11. ↑ "Honeymoon in Vegas". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Winners & Nominees 1993". GoldenGlobes.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  13. ↑ Considine, J.D. (August 14, 1992). "'Honeymoon' artists capture energy, audacity of Elvis". The Baltimore Sun . Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  14. ↑ Mansfield, Brian. "Honeymoon in Vegas". AllMusic . Archived from the original on June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Week of September 26, 1992". Billboard 200 . Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Various Artists – Honeymoon in Vegas - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Music Canada . Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  17. ↑ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Honeymoon in Vegas". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Honeymoon in Vegas". ringostrack.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Tony Danza to hit Broadway in 'Honeymoon in Vegas'". Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Broadway-Bound Toronto Production of Honeymoon in Vegas Starring Tony Danza, Canceled". broadway.com. August 2, 2012. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  21. ↑ Gans, Andrew (October 27, 2013). "Honeymoon in Vegas, Starring Tony Danza, Rob McClure and Brynn O'Malley, Ends Paper Mill Run Oct. 27". playbill.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2014.
  22. ↑ Gans, Andrew (June 18, 2014). "Honeymoon in Vegas Will Arrive on Broadway in November Initial Casting Announced". playbill.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.