Venus and Vegas Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Venus and Vegas Blu-ray Movie Review

Dull & Duller

Reviewed by Michael Reuben June 20, 2013

Filmed so long ago that its official website is on MySpace (that's not a joke), Venus & Vegas arrives on Blu-ray, after an initial postponement, courtsey of RLJ Entertainment (the new umbrella for Image). "Postponement" should be part of the film's title. According to the best information I could find, the film was completed in 2007 but wasn't released to theaters (if, indeed, it ever was) until 2010. The fact that star and screenwriter Eddie Guerra's vanity project took three more years to reach home video should come as no surprise. Despite the presence of Eddie Kaye Thomas and Donald Faison, who were somehow persuaded to join Guerra for this laugh-free romp through the Entertainment Capital of the World, the film is slackly paced, witless and painful to watch.

Guerra, Thomas and Faison play Vegas buddies Eric, Alex and Stu, who refuse to get grown-up jobs. Instead, they support themselves by sponging, scamming and thievery, in which they're strictly small-time. But they step up their game by robbing a major drug dealer (Steven Bauer, uncredited) and then an old-school mobster named Frank Santino (Coen Bros. regular Jon Polito), who suffers from high blood pressure and is counterfeiting the chips of every major casino. In retaliation, Santino holds Alex hostage for the return of his stolen goods, while Eric and Stu grab Frank's nephew, Bruno (Abraham Benrubi, the only funny guy in the film), as a bargaining, uh, chip. Even with Bruno coaching them, they are hopelessly outmatched.

Of course, women are behind it all (hence the "Venus" in the title). Eric is mooning over a gold-digging tramp (Jaime Pressly), who has dropped him for a better prospect; by the end of the film, he's found greener pastures with a waitress (Molly Sims) who is clearly his soul mate because, like him, she corrects other people's grammar. Stu is trying to convince his hot-tempered Latin girlfriend (Roselyn Sanchez) that he's reliable, while she waits for the right moment to tell him he's going to be a father. Alex doesn't have anyone, but his eyes light up briefly for an unlikely prospect. Geriatric passion is supplied by Florence Henderson as Alex's grandma.

A prime example of the film's style of humor (considered hilarious by posters at IMDb) is the scene where Alex fixes a horse race by inserting a cell phone into the rectum of a long shot. He dials the number at the right moment, and the phone's vibrations shock the unfortunate nag into a burst of speed. The horse's name? Hidden Assets. Hilarious.

Venus and Vegas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Venus & Vegas was shot by a professional cinematographer (James Chressanthis), and it has been competently transferred for a 1080p, AVC-encoded presentation on Blu-ray. The image is sharp, fine-grained and detailed with acceptable blacks, appropriate contrast and well-saturated colors. There is no noteworthy noise, no noticeable artifacts and no sign of digital tampering.

Contrary to the jacket description, the Blu-ray's aspect ratio is 1.78:1, a common and minor adjustment from a theatrical ratio of 1.85:1.

Venus and Vegas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The disc's DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is serviceable but unremarkable. Surround activity is limited, dialogue is clear, and fidelity is what one expects from a recently minted film soundtrack.

Venus and Vegas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The disc contains a trailer (1080p; 1.78:1; 1:06) and a behind-the-scenes featurette (480i; 1.33:1; 22:30).

Venus and Vegas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The technical quality is fine. The film is a dud. Leave it on MySpace.