MovieChat Forums > Leaving Las Vegas (1996) Discussion > i LOVE this film but HATED the soundtrac...

i LOVE this film but HATED the soundtrack

posted 13 years ago by midnight_cinephile
44 replies | jump to latest

Let me start by saying that this is one of my fave films and in my top 20 of all time.
figgis did a great job with all of it except the music

I know many will disagree with me
but the up tempo jazzy-ness and sting's tunes just do not work for me at all
it felt too polished and smooth for such a dark film
I realize he might have been trying to juxtapose a contrast in mood but I would have done things a lot differently.
specifically-more haunting and darker tune selection/instrumentation

what I would have done;
reverb soaked slide guitars
sparse acoustic blues guitar motif that repeats and or a solo piano piece like the one in 'DIVA"

other songs i would have used-
"sleepwalk"
a plethora of drone type stuff
"downtempo beats
"i only have eyes for you"
"grand pappy du plenty "

[–] Diss 12 years ago

Keep in mind Vegas was built on this type of music. This represents old school Vegas. Now days it's about hip hop and trendy dance clubs, but back in the 50's when Vegas started becoming popular with the LA crowd, this was the type of music that did it. But Sting is no Frank Sinatra, that's for sure. I love him in the Police, and his first solo album, after that I never cared for his stuff. He's pretentious and think he has more talent than he actually has. Should have stuck with rock/pop.

Keep in mind this movie is a love story, and the songs are about love (or lost love).

I live in Vegas, and could tell the director was going for an "old school" feel to the movie. The fact that he drives to Vegas on the old highway instead of the Freeway like normal people. The dinky motel out in the middle of the desert. That type of thing. So old school movie needs old school type music. They could have used some Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin songs I suppose, but they opted for an original soundtrack.

What else would you have? Classical? Vegas isn't known for classical. hip/hop rap? We have clubs now days like that, but not back in the 90's so much. Rock/metal? That would be very out of place.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tomkaren1994 12 years ago

Cannot even imagine where you're coming from. The soundtrack was brilliant. Sting's version of My One and Only Love was incredible.

[–] Redux006 12 years ago

Funny, I was coming here to post the same thing. The music is so loud and intrusive, and is used way too much, it almost ruins the movie.

I should specify, I like the score just fine, the music that bugs me is the Sting song they play over and over and over.

[–] saturns1stmoon 12 years ago

I just watched this last night on cable having never seen it & while I really enjoyed it I couldn't get over how terrible the music was.

It's just bad lounge music that kind of took away from the film.
Glad to know I'm not alone in my opinion...

[–] eelb 10 years ago

There's no such genre as lounge music. It's a term that originated with hard rock radio DJ's to marginalize jazz musicians and singers.

[–] bluestranger 12 years ago

LOVED THE MUSIC!

[–] davefishsound 12 years ago

Obviously You weren't drunk in the mid90s! Soundtrack is spot on and leaps out and pimpslaps ya.

[–] stevo718 11 years ago

I loved the movie myself but I thought the use of music reflected Las Vegas today... lounge acts and cheesiness, for the most part Las Vegas is pretty cheesy theres no real art or music or substance, everything is a replica or artificial, there is only the illusion of the American dream here in Las Vegas... and this is why I think the lounge music like soundtrack worked with the film. I think there was kind of more of an honesty using that kind of music and the dialogue between Shue and Cage is more authentic and works with it... its makes the movie the more real and believable... this ain't no "Pretty Woman".

[–] sunny_jim9 11 years ago

I agree. The music was not classy- lounge music as the previous poster put it. The soundtrack may not live up to everyone's tastes, but it reflects the movie. The music which showed how Ben's alcohol problem consumed him at the very start couldn't have been done better. The song by Michael McDonald, it reflected Ben's lust for affection. He missed his wife. Alcohol took all his relationship prospects away. He was lonely because he relied on alcohol and wouldn't let any woman into his life. He tried to let Sera in, they fell in love, but alcohol was the master of his universe. It was apparent he had a wet brain when she asked him to change. She wasn't willing to change either. She continued to go down that path. They were so similar in such a different way= desperate and longing- that is how they fell in love. The song's by Sting were perfect- they fit the romance between Ben and Sera. Listen to the lyrics before you say it's *beep* music-- anyone who says the soundtrack is cheesy obviously can't appreciate art and just says "Oh well, wtf is this about?" It is a classy movie for people who can get it.