What Happens in Vegas
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: May 9, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
36
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
11
Negative:
14
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerTravis Nichols
A first- or second-date flick, after which there can be some Cheesecake Factory and maybe a peck on the cheek, no harm done. What Happens in Vegas is pleasant enough for all of that (and it sidesteps all that "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" raunch). Read full review
70
Washington PostStephen Hunter
An exceedingly bright comedy that never makes you feel stupid for enjoying its brisk pacing, smart lines, sound construction and superb comic acting, not only from Ashton Kutcher but from Cameron Diaz and well-chosen No. 2 bananas Rob Corddry and Lake Bell. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Amiable screwball comedy. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Kutcher, who gives his most energized performance to date, and Diaz, darting between the caustic and shrill, look as if they're warming up to groovy hate sex, not love, which may be why the film goes flat the moment it turns friendly. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Sadly, about the nicest thing I can say about What Happens in Vegas is that I didn't hate it - although I suppose that's something. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Their chemistry goes like this: He cleans up real nice; she dirties down with gusto. Read full review
60
VarietyJoe Leydon
This two-seated star vehicle for top-billed Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz wrings a respectable number of laughs from a formulaic scenario about attracted-opposites who bicker and back-stab their way toward happily-ever-aftering. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyJulia Wallace
The stars, despite having only a fraction of the charm and talent of classic sparring-but-meant-for-each-other duos, know how to mug for the camera and well up on cue, and somehow that turns out to be enough to carry this trifle. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Hokey and forced as it is, What Happens in Vegas eventually settles into a rhythm, maybe because Diaz and Kutcher actually look like they have fun together. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Complain all you want about the affable slobs in Judd Apatow comedies; at least they're not tools. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Cameron Diaz is the ideal guy's gal and Ashton Kutcher is, well, a guy. Together, they're a zero. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
It's a story that feels familiar at best, hackneyed at worst, which is surprising and disappointing, as director Tom Vaughan also made last year's "Starter for 10," a charming British coming-of-age comedy. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
The overwhelming sensation of deja vu is exhausting and disorienting. You really HAVE seen it all before. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
After the initial charm wears off, the whole thing gets check-your-text-messages dull. Read full review
40
EmpireIan Nathan
Bland enough to make millions as culture edges closer to oblivion. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
While Diaz and Kutcher make their clichéd characters as likable as possible, you can bet on this: Any movie named after an already-stale ad campaign isn't likely to gamble on the unexpected. Read full review
40
SalonMary Elizabeth Williams
As it is, it's too restrained, too often -- too eager to gallop toward postcard sunsets on the beach when tequila shooters and lap dances are what the moment calls for. You'd think the combination of Diaz, Kutcher and Vegas would be good for at least a little sexy, silly fun. But don't bet on it. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
The screenplay by Dana Fox (she was one of the rewriters of "27 Dresses") devolves into a series of humiliating pranks that always give the upper narrative hand to the male lead. Talk about depressing. I mean, that's what male screenwriters are for--to unfairly stack the deck against the female leads. Read full review
38
New York PostLou Lumenick
Laughs are few and far between in the innuendo-laden script attributed to Dana Fox, who's also responsible for the reprehensible "The Wedding Date." Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
What Happens in Vegas should damn well have stayed in Vegas. Read full review
38
Rolling StonePeter Travers
If you don't see where this is going, you've never seen a movie. Sorry it had to be this one. Read full review
33
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
What Happens in Vegas is not only annoying, it's also incompetent – a bad mix. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Only Diaz shows spark because the actress knows how to simultaneously play nice and be a nasty character, thereby gaining audience sympathy. Everyone else hits one note, and it isn't nice. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
Who wants to spend a minute on the Strip with the chance that there might be people as annoying as the characters played by Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher walking around? Read full review
25
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
The one actor I wanted more of was Williams, who imbues Jack's dad with a robust, sometimes domineering wiliness that suggests a real person. Of course, these silly, inept filmmakers probably cast him because he plays a good guy and his first name is Treat. Read full review
25
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
When it was over I felt vaguely embarrassed. I wasn't just leaving a movie theater. I was taking a walk of shame. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
If you're gonna hire one of the funniest American comedians working today – Zach Galifianakis – and shove him to the side of the frame, then frankly, you can take what happens in Vegas, keep it in Vegas, and keep the rest of the us out of it. Read full review
20
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
If What Happens in Vegas... serves any purpose, it's to make me consider spending my gambling money in Reno or on a riverboat instead. Read full review
10
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Because its director, Tom Vaughan, brings nothing of interest to the movie, including filmmaking, there isn't anything to say other than to note its insulting ugliness and ineptitude. Read full review
10
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
What Happens in Vegas... should have stayed in development -- forever. This ramshackle -- and occasionally repulsive -- farce doesn't even deliver on the minimal promise of its title; most of it takes place in Manhattan. Read full review
10
TimeRichard Schickel
Worst-in-breed not only for this year, but very likely in living memory. Read full review
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