Directed by: Mike Figgis
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue, Julian Sands, Richard Lewis
Other mistake: Nick Cage is playing blackjack at a Caribbean stud table.
Other mistake: When Ben and Sera are in the casino playing blackjack, and Ben gets angry and loses control, he supposedly knocks the waitress to the ground. It's a terribly fake looking stunt because Nicholas Cage never even comes close to making contact with the girl playing the waitress. She just falls backward and throws her tray to the ground.
Other mistake: Nick Cage is playing blackjack at a Caribbean stud table.
Sera: What's up?
Ben Sanderson: I was looking for you tonight. I don't know if you've a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, but I thought maybe we could get some dinner.
Trivia: Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue were so dedicated to the film that she interviewed several real Las Vegas prostitutes while he went on a drinking binge to experience what might happen to his cognition and speech patterns.
Question: Is Leaving Las Vegas an accurate depiction of alcoholism and intoxication?
Chosen answer: Like any cinematic depiction of ANY behavior, "Leaving Las Vegas" is a depiction of extremes of behavior. Keep in mind that Nic Cage wasn't merely trying to catch a buzz in this film, he was trying to commit suicide-by-alcohol, which is extreme. If anything, Nic Cage's performance was far too animated and articulate for someone dying of alcoholism. Seldom are the final, terminal stages of alcoholism worthy of depiction in a feature film. So, the answer is no.
Charles Austin Miller