Just about everyone knows the Las Vegas tourism slogan, right? “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!” Sounds like a recipe to let your hair down and indulge yourself in ways you might not normally. Except, what if it doesn’t stay in Vegas?

Exhibit A… Joy and Jack. Joy just got dumped by her straitlaced corporate drone of a fiancé—at a surprise birthday party she arranged for him… in front of all their friends. Jack just got fired from his job in a furniture making factory—by the owner… his dad.

What do you do at a time like that? Head to Vegas, baby! A mix-up with rooms at their hotel throws them together, and after a drunken night on the town they wake up married. No problem: they both want out… until a lucky pull at a slot machine gives them three million reasons to stick around.

What Happens in Vegas is one of those movies that leverages its stars to get you into the theater. In this case, it’s Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher. You’re probably going to see it based on whether you like one or both of them. The draw is certainly not the story or the special effects or even the director—a mostly unknown Tom Vaughan.

In truth, the two stars do a pretty good job here, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. Diaz is the pretty, slightly ditzy girl next door and Kutcher plays the party boy to the hilt, though with occasional surprising glimpses of depth. They have good chemistry onscreen and that certainly helps.

They’ve also got a strong supporting cast. Rob Corddry plays Jack’s wingman (Jeff the “Hater”) and Lake Bell is opposite him as Joy’s BFF Toni. Queen Latifah and Dennis Miller also show up to lend their brand of humor to the story.

Speaking of the story, it’s mostly run-of-the-mill “battle of the sexes” material as the dueling couple cross and double-cross each other trying to force the other out and grab their share of the cash. It’s pretty predictable stuff. You’re bound to see the resolution coming long before the characters themselves do.

Still—for all that—I was entertained, and compared to some of the recent films going for romantic comedy, that’s something of a recommendation. Most of the time, the film falls short of being laugh-out-loud funny, but I did experience a guffaw or two. If you find the big blockbusters sold out this weekend and you’re in need of a good date movie, What Happens In Vegas could pay off for you.

What Happens In Vegas is rated PG-13 for “some sexual and crude content, and language, including a drug reference.” Overall, it’s about what you would expect. No surprises here. Did we mention Vegas?

Courtesy of a local publicist, Michael attended a press screening of What Happens In Vegas.