Saint John of Las Vegas (2009)

22% of critics liked it
(51 reviews)
27% of users liked it
(1,252 ratings)

A compulsive gambler attempts to cure his addiction by moving from Las Vegas to Albuquerque and working at an auto insurance company, only to find old temptations cropping up once again when he's sent out to investigate a dubious car accident just outside of Sin City. After a string of bad luck at… More A compulsive gambler attempts to cure his addiction by moving from Las Vegas to Albuquerque and working at an auto insurance company, only to find old temptations cropping up once again when he's sent out to investigate a dubious car accident just outside of Sin City. After a string of bad luck at the tables, John (Steve Buscemi) decides to give up gambling and take a shot at a "normal" life. Arriving in Albuquerque and landing a job at an auto insurance company, John goes to work for Mr. Townsend (Peter Dinklage), who pairs him with the company's top fraud debunker, Virgil (Romany Malco), and sends them out on an investigation together. While John is eager to get a promotion, he's reluctant to go anywhere near Las Vegas, and before he leaves he strikes up a tenuous romance with his eccentric co-worker Jill (Sarah Silverman). On the road, Virgil and John encounter a series of offbeat characters including a nude militant (Tim Blake Nelson), a wheelchair-bound stripper (Emmanuelle Chriqui), and a carnival human torch (John Cho). But while Virgil is the one with the experience, John gradually begins to assert himself and soon his efforts begin to pay off as the case moves closer to conclusion. As John's confidence grows, he becomes increasingly aware of the fact that running away from his gambling problem is not the solution, and that he'll only be able to move forward by returning to Las Vegas to face his demons head on. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Hue Rhodes
Written By: Hue Rhodes
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 29, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Jul 13, 2010
Studio: IndieVest Pictures

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Comic casting and comic timing pay off in most scenes, with Dinklage landing the big laughs, Malco doing his wise-guy-talking-down-to-the-doofus patter and Buscemi just bugging out and reacting to the craziness.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
It's a kind of cinematic purgatory, halfway between eternal reward and eternal damnation. The question is: What did I do to deserve such mediocrity?
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Saint John of Las Vegas was a bad script that somehow got made into a bad movie with good people in it.
Janice Page, Boston Globe
For all its clever quirkiness, the end product seems flat and over-thought, which isn't to say it's a bad first step for this ambitious novice director, just a long way from something that will set the world on fire.
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
This debut feature by Hue Rhodes offers a wealth of skilled players and admirably offbeat gags yet seldom manages to generate any laughs.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
It's minor, but I enjoyed it, largely because of the people on-screen, but also for the sneaky sincerity of writer-director Hue Rhodes' chronicle of one compulsive gambler's slouch toward redemption.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
The performances are strong--even the minor characters--and the atmosphere and tone are spot-on for a dark comedy.
Neil Miller, Film School Rejects
Buscemi playing Buscemi is still entertaining, even after all these years.
Annlee Ellingson, Moving Pictures Magazine
You can take a gambler out of Las Vegas, but you can't take Las Vegas out of a gambler.
Jason Morgan, Filmcritic.com
good for a quick laugh, but ultimately an empty gesture.
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
... slightly less than the sum of its parts ...
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
Don't get me wrong. I loved Buscemi's low-key performance. But I'm less crazy about the movie, which is sometimes oddly timed and funny and sometimes just plain flat.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
Trying desperately to be hip and cool, 'Saint John of Las Vegas' is fey and flimsy instead.
Kimberly Gadette, Indie Movies Online
The script is both overly simple and unnecessarily complex. As we wander west without tension or purpose across an airless desert, the trip isn't all that enjoyable. For God's sake, are we there yet?
Rubin Safaya, Cinemalogue.com
With a scattershot plot, one's attention may focus more acutely on the characterizations, adeptly handled by very skilled, principal actors.
Shawn Levy, Oregonian
Buscemi delivers game and spry and pleasurable work, but writer-director Hue Rhodes drops him into a mess of a film and lets him dangle helpless and alone.
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
It's a black comedy with a few exceptional scenes, but never gels together convincingly, making the artistic swing for the fences more of a quiet disappointment than a captivating leap of faith.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
Theoretically, Saint John of Vegas may look good from a distance, but when seen up close it's only a house of cards.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Everett J

After a long string of bad luck gambling in his hometown of Las Vegas, John(Steve Buscemi) decides to try to live a normal life. He's moved to Albuquerque and works for an auto insurance company. One day he gets offered a chance to move up by helping with the investigation of… More
After a long string of bad luck gambling in his hometown of Las Vegas, John(Steve Buscemi) decides to try to live a normal life. He's moved to Albuquerque and works for an auto insurance company. One day he gets offered a chance to move up by helping with the investigation of an accident and trying to prove it's fraudulent. The accident took place outside of Vegas, and his old gambling addiction comes back and he's once again at the mercy of temptation. Buscemi does a fantastic job with such a subpar movie. He's usually great, and here he is his usual awesome self. The whole cast is terrific. Peter Dinklage, Sarah Silverman, and Romney Malco all do great with the little their given. The story is interesting, but it feels like it's missing quite a bit. The movie runs at 85 minutes, which is good as it short and paced good. But, it feels like this movie needed more, and given more it could have been a great movie. Instead, it's like lost potential. Watch for the great cast, but don't expect a great movie to match. If you want a low budget independent movie dealing with Vegas, check out "The Cooler" instead.
Melvin W

"Getting Lucky is a Roll of the Dice" I was intrigues by this movie because it had Steve Buscemi in the leading role and Romany Malco, who I really liked in Weeds. The movie could never really pull itself together though. I really have no idea what this movie was trying to… More
"Getting Lucky is a Roll of the Dice" I was intrigues by this movie because it had Steve Buscemi in the leading role and Romany Malco, who I really liked in Weeds. The movie could never really pull itself together though. I really have no idea what this movie was trying to accomplish or what it was trying to be. Saint John of Las Vegas had some pretty bizarre scenes that were okay like the discussion with a carnival performer who kept bursting into flames. After a couple of scenes though, everything else are just throw away scenes that don't work. Buscemi and Malco weren't bad, they just had nothing to work with. Silverman was her usual annoying self. I dont see how anyone can like her. She isn't funny at all. It seems to me like the writer and director was trying to be too original. The premise could have been cool had it actually turned into a real movie, but it never does. I was really hoping to like this. I always like to enjoy an Independent film that nobody else likes or has seen. This one just can't be enjoyed though; too bad.
Greg S

An insurance claims adjuster with a gambling problem is sent to Las Vegas to investigate a wheelchair-bound stripper's car accident. The gambling addiction makes for a nice hook and the cast is appealing (Steve Buscemi and Sarah Silverman), but it never really comes together as… More
An insurance claims adjuster with a gambling problem is sent to Las Vegas to investigate a wheelchair-bound stripper's car accident. The gambling addiction makes for a nice hook and the cast is appealing (Steve Buscemi and Sarah Silverman), but it never really comes together as a comedy. For unclear reasons, there are lots of references to Dante's "Inferno."
Jeffrey M

Despite what should be an ideal cast for a black comedy, Saint John of Las Vegas turns out to be a movie without much of a story. The humor is extremely sparse, most of the movie is seemingly random set pieces with poor dialogue and lackluster direction. Itâ(TM)s dull, forgettable,… More
Despite what should be an ideal cast for a black comedy, Saint John of Las Vegas turns out to be a movie without much of a story. The humor is extremely sparse, most of the movie is seemingly random set pieces with poor dialogue and lackluster direction. Itâ(TM)s dull, forgettable, and a waste of all the talent involved.
Lane Z

Steve Buscemi is a weird man. He acts weird and looks weird, but he's still the best part about this movie. Probably the only good part. It's quirky and silly. Sometimes those movies are worth a watch for the dry humor but this one strays too far off the path. I… More
Steve Buscemi is a weird man. He acts weird and looks weird, but he's still the best part about this movie. Probably the only good part. It's quirky and silly. Sometimes those movies are worth a watch for the dry humor but this one strays too far off the path. I confusing story line and not enough character development with some odd dream sequences make this one a dud. I mean, we don't even travel to Vegas and it's in the title.
Stephen E

"Saint John of Las Vegas" has a lot of big names attached to it: Steve Buscemi, Romany Malco, Sarah Silverman, Peter Dinklage, Tim Blake Nelson, John Cho, Spike Lee, Stanley Tucci, Danny Trejo and Emmanuelle Chriqui. What did they see in this film? There is absolutely… More
"Saint John of Las Vegas" has a lot of big names attached to it: Steve Buscemi, Romany Malco, Sarah Silverman, Peter Dinklage, Tim Blake Nelson, John Cho, Spike Lee, Stanley Tucci, Danny Trejo and Emmanuelle Chriqui. What did they see in this film? There is absolutely nothing about it that deserves attention. It is unfunny, incoherent, and poorly written, directed, and edited. The word 'forgettable' has never suited a film better than "Saint John of Las Vegas." It amazes me how this didn't go straight-to-DVD.