Bachelor Party Vegas (2006) / Comedy

MPAA Rated: R for strong sexual content, crude humor, pervasive language, and nudity
Running Time: 94 min.

Cast: Jonathan Bennett, Kal Penn, Donald Faison, Charlie Talbert, Aaron Himelstein, Vincent Pastore, Chuck Liddell, Lin Shaye, Daniel Stern, Jaime Pressly, Diane Klimaszewsky, Elaine Klimaszewski, Diora Baird, Kathy Griffin, Marisa Petroro, Tamara Whelan
Director: Eric Bernt
Screenplay: Eric Bernt
Review published March 28, 2006

Another typical Road Trip/American Pie retread, with plenty of horny guys, hot babes, and unbridled hedonism, Bachelor Party Vegas is a film so generic, even the title reveals the lack of originality. The usual sex gags are trotted out for the short duration, featuring a cavalcade of titillating situations and embarrassing moments for the protagonists to have to endure just to get laid.

The premise of the film involves a group of five 20-something guys on a trip to Vegas (of course) to celebrate one on the verge of getting hitched (Bennett, Mean Girls). They all agree to follow the “Ten Commandments” of bachelor parties (the list doesn’t merit reciting except to say that they are vowed to secrecy regarding all of their hedonistic acts). Things hardly proceed according to plan, as they encounter all forms of mayhem, including geriatric strippers, fat gay strippers, hot porn strippers with angry boyfriends, spaghetti-wrestling Elvis impersonators, and crazy casino muscle.

It’s fairly obvious that writer-director Eric Bernt (writing credits include Romeo Must Die and Virtuosity) has decided to make a fast-buck niche movie, which capitalizes on the fact that men seeking ideas on what to do for a bachelor party will give this a rental when the appropriate time comes. Even the name of it should tell you that it has been conceived of to exploit a favorable search engine placement for anyone looking for the keywords “bachelor party Vegas”, almost like an infomercial for the do’s and don'ts of the entire weekend party excursion.

You get what you expect, no more and no less, as the sensationalistic aspects are pushed forward for sophomoric laughs and more prurient interests. To waste are an appealing cast of actors, most notably Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar, Van Wilder), whose agent really should strive to find him something to get him out of the sex comedy rut he’s in before he gets permanently typecast.

Bachelor Party Vegas is meant strictly for audiences with frat-guy mentalities whereby nothing is entertaining unless it involves “pussy and beer”.  It’s a by-the-numbers road trip to get laid joke-fest that dishes up just the crass, lewd and lascivious behavior with abundance, except without genuine wit or skill. The only bachelor parties that might suck even more than the one shown on-screen are any real-life ones where the DVD of Bachelor Party Vegas is played during the course of it. 

Qwipster's rating:

©2006 Vince Leo