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The MPAA has rated What Happens in Vegas PG-13 for some sexual and crude content, and language, including a drug reference.

Neither Jack (Ashton Kutcher) nor Joy (Cameron Diaz) were planning to take a quick trip to Vegas, but when their worlds came crumbling down around them -- he lost his job and she lost her fiancé -- the two made the emotional decision to get wasted for the weekend in Sin City. And that's where they meet.

Accidentally booked into the same hotel room, Jack, along with his buddy Hater (Rob Corddry), and Joy, along with her friend Tipper (Lake Bell), collide with each other while in various states of undress. When the initial physical attacks from the women (who figure their hotel room has been invaded) are over, they head out on the town. After dozens of drinks, dances, a marriage and drunken sex, Jack and Joy wake up the next morning with one thought on their minds -- get a divorce. It's a quick fix until Jack tosses a final quarter into a slot machine and wins three million dollars. Problem: It was Joy's quarter.

Later, in a New York City courtroom, Judge Whopper (Dennis Miller) isn't about to make things any easier. Citing them as prime examples of a young generation with no respect for matrimonial commitment, the judge declares, "Gay people aren't destroying the sanctity of marriage. You people are!" He refuses to release the cash until the two of them give their obligation a chance. Ordered to serve six months of "hard marriage," both of them begin a series of sabotage plans to make life under one roof as difficult as possible.

Expect an overdose of sexual innuendo, brief sexual interaction (seen during the closing credits), scatological humor (a single bathroom in their apartment motivates a desperate Jack to urinate into the kitchen sink) and crass comments involving anatomy. There is also rampant alcohol use, with characters holding drinks in most scenes throughout the film. Some moderate and many mild profanities are included along with frequent uses of terms of deity and an obvious bleeping of the sexual expletive used various times in the lyrics of the closing credits' music.

Surprisingly this excess of possibly objectionable material is truly unfortunate because What Happens In Vegas attempts to offer a clear message about the importance of making a marriage work, no matter what the obstacles. As well, it illustrates how two people, who are seemingly opposite, can discover complementary aspects of their personalities. Sadly, most families interested in such noble commentary will likely abandon their quest of finding it here due to irreconcilable differences with this movie's content.

Beyond the movie ratings: What parents need to know about What Happens in Vegas...

While this movie illustrates the rewards of working to make a hastily entered into marriage work, there are many pitfalls families may not appreciate. Frequent sexual innuendo and some brief sexual activity along with scatological humor involving urination (seen on screen) permeate the script. Crude remarks regarding anatomy, a woman seen in her underwear and a topless man are also included. When a woman is unable to pay cab fare, the driver asks to see her breasts instead, and she agrees (no nudity is seen). A manager calls female subordinates "skirts," and then tells them his name choice wasn't sexual harassment. Language includes a sexual finger gesture, three bleeped sexual expletives in a song, some moderate and many mild profanities, and frequent uses of terms of deity. Frequent kicks and hits to male crotches, a punch to the face, spraying of perfume into a perceived attacker's eyes, a woman dropped from a man's arms onto a floor, and a woman pelting a man with fruit rounds out of most of the violent content. Many characters are frequently seen dinking alcohol throughout and some to the point of being highly intoxicated. A character wins a large sum of money after playing a single quarter in a slot machine.

Talk about the movie with your family...

A character says, "What happens in Vegas, you pay for when you get home." How do his comments differ from the usual slogan for Sin City? Why do you think people sometimes seek places where they can do things without consequences? Does such a place exist?

Video alternatives...

Cameron Diaz plays another character prone to partying and poor choices until she meets her Grandmother in the film In Her Shoes. As well, she lends her voice talents to Princess Fiona in Shrek (I, II and III). Ashton Kutcher takes on the role of an aspiring member of the Coast Guard where he learns about responsibility from The Guardian. His voice can also be heard in the animated movie Open Season.

Rod Gustafson

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