ST JOHN OF LAS VEGAS

ST JOHN OF LAS VEGAS

We all like films about addicted gamblers. These films give us someone else to point at whenever we buy one lottery ticket too many, or stay on the craps table three rolls too many. When can always say "Well, at least I wasn't as bad as so-and-son in..."

Anyone who has stayed on the table one turn too many knows what its like to loose. By the same token there are some people who never when and even getting in the game for one turn is too much. We call them losers. And they are the worse kind of gamblers. They never learn the lesson to just quit and walk away.

Steve Buscemi plays a loser named John in "St John of Las Vegas".

John has played all the games - even with his last dime - and lost. Lottery, blackjack, the slots, it doesn't matter. He loses at all of them.

The worst part is he knows he won't win, yet he continues sure that the next game will be the big one.

But it never is.

We learn at the onset on the film he at one time lived in Las Vegas; no doubt the worst place to live if you are a born loser of a gambler. But he is now living in Albuquerque working in an insurance company in claims.

He is in a cubical next to whom he considers a hot babe Jill (Sarah Silverman). She is ditsy,even going so far as to paint little smiley faces on each of her finger nails. In fact the Happy Face is her main idea of design for living.

Jill is involved casually with the boss of the insurance company Mr Townsend (Peter Dinklage). He doesn't really care for her as he does enjoy pulling her hair to get her to give him sex - a secret he passes on to John.

John is at a point where he is somewhat resistant to gambling, but can be easily drawn back in. He is, as most gamblers, broke and needing an increase in pay. So he hits up Townsend for a job upgrade.

Townsend introduces him to Virgil (Romany Matco) his most productive claims debunker. Talk about night and day differences. But Townsend tells John if he could get a promotion if he goes out with John to investigate the claim concerning a classic auto that sounds bogus.

John agrees before learning he will be returning to the place of his gambling demise...Las Vegas. Like a roach to sugar, John is sucked right back into the gambling mode.

"St. John of Las Vegas" is basically a buddy movie of sorts. The only person who could have possibly been better suited for the John character would have been William H Macy - but Buscemi is a very suitable loser and makes it work. --GEOFFREY BURTON

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