Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) * * *

Directed by:  Andrew Bergman

Starring:  Nicolas Cage, James Caan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Pat Morita, Peter Boyle

Andrew Bergman followed up the masterful The Freshman (1990) with Honeymoon In Vegas.  Like The Freshman, I watched with a constant, goofy grin.    It is light and funny, with several hundred Elvis impersonators mixed in.  We know it is silly from minute one, but we can't help but go along for the ride.  Good comedies have a way of doing that.

Nicolas Cage plays Jack Singer, a private eye who swore to his mother on her deathbed that he would never marry, which doesn't sit well with his girlfriend Betsy (Parker).   Rather than lose Betsy, Jack agrees to fly to Las Vegas to marry her in a quick chapel ceremony.   He is terrified, but seems to want to go through with it.     Betsy catches the eye of gambler Tommy Korman (Caan), who wields enough power at the hotel to get the President of Brazil thrown out of "his" penthouse suite.     Betsy is a dead ringer for his beloved late wife and he hatches a plan to win her, which includes a high-stakes poker game that Jack attends.   How Tommy could've foreseen that the only way Jack could pay off his debt is to agree to loan Betsy to him for a weekend is something we don't ask.    

Jack manages to sweet talk Betsy into the date because he doesn't want any body parts broken.     When Jack suggests to Tommy an alternative payoff such as a payment plan,   Tommy snaps, "What do you think, you're buying a washer and dryer? "  Tommy takes Betsy to Hawaii, with Jack following behind just close enough to see them together, but not close enough to be spotted.    The entire weekend gnaws at Jack, but a deal is a deal.   Could Betsy possibly fall for Tommy, who woos her like she was his wife reincarnated?

I won't reveal the plot's twists and turns because doing so would spoil the surprises, although one can not even hear about the film without picturing the "Utah Chapter" of the flying Elvises.    Honeymoon In Vegas is a war of sorts between two men who have passionate feelings for Betsy for different reasons.   Cage, like in Moonstruck, proves he is a deft comic actor.    Parker is cute as a button, looks hot in a bikini, and goes along with Cage because she loves the guy.   The trickiest role belongs to Caan, who is basically a nice guy until something gets in the way of his happiness...or convenience.     Caan has to be sweet enough to be able to provide temptation for Parker, while being just mean enough to suggest bad things will happen to Jack if he doesn't honor his debt.    

Andrew Bergman made The Freshman, Honeymoon In Vegas, and It Could Happen To You (1994), which also starred Cage.     Each film was cheerfully absurd and goofy, but had heart and warmth as well.     He was on a roll in the early 90's.     I can't say I've followed what he has done since, but I suppose it was difficult for him to maintain the early momentum.     After you introduce the flying Elvises into movie lore, it is tough to go anywhere but down.