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.
Continuity mistake: Moving out to Sera, Ben is packing his things in a motel. You can see a half full glass standing on a bed table on his left. In the next shot Ben is pouring alcohol to an EMPTY glass filling it in 1/3 approx. In the next scene glass is half full again and in the next one - FULL. Eventually he is drinking from a glass full of alcohol.
Sera: So, Ben with an "N " what brings you to Las Vegas? Business convention?
Ben Sanderson: I came here to drink myself to death.
Question: Is Leaving Las Vegas an accurate depiction of alcoholism and intoxication?
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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