What could have been a Vegas version of Valley of the Dolls" is actually a very boring Father and Son drama where the dialogue doesn't get any happier than "My pastries never fall off. Certainly, the Edie Williams character is very close to the Sharon Tate character from the Jacqueline Susanne classic, hired by casino owner David Janssen to seduce his son Robert Drivas to find out if he's gay or not. Certainly, with his wardrobe and hideous comb over hairstyle, that is indeed suspect by 60s fashion trends looks, but writer Garson Man in doesn't do anything at all daring. This is almost a Disneyfied version of Las Vegas outside of some insinuations by Williams characters who asked how much more should be paid for dancing topless. Don't go into this expecting a 60's version of "Showgirls". With all of the elements present that could have made this a camp classic, somehow, it misses the opportunity for that and that's probably the reason why this mediocre film is very obscure.
The relationship between the father and son is barely civil, with Drivas certainly into social causes oh, and not at all interested in his father's raunchy business. Jansen is engaged to the beautiful Rosemary Forsythe, who seems sexually attracted to her future stepson. The only real sympathetic character is Brenda Vaccaro as Janssen's tough talking secretary with the heart of gold, falling head over heels in love with Drivas the moment she meets him, and he's dropping in on his bedroom conversation with Williams, crying out in agony when he lies to Williams about being gay just to get a reaction out of her. Don Rickles is also present as one of the casino dealers, giving the film a bit of ammusement outside the few unintentionally funny moments. Unfortunately, his role is mainly a dramatic one.
What's really surprising about this film is how dull it is even with its flashy setting, never using it to good advantage to show Las Vegas in a realistic manner. This version of the city of lights seems so sanitized that this could be set in an alternative universe. I spent more time watching Drivas and Forsythe to see if there's two their hairstyles would ever move, and of course they don't. Janssen under plays his role to the point where he becomes very unbelievable as the casino owner, and even his yelling out many of his lines doesn't make him intimidating as the boss. For a film trying so hard to be hip and where it's at, it lacks the oomph to really strike a chord either as a good film or as a time capsule.
The relationship between the father and son is barely civil, with Drivas certainly into social causes oh, and not at all interested in his father's raunchy business. Jansen is engaged to the beautiful Rosemary Forsythe, who seems sexually attracted to her future stepson. The only real sympathetic character is Brenda Vaccaro as Janssen's tough talking secretary with the heart of gold, falling head over heels in love with Drivas the moment she meets him, and he's dropping in on his bedroom conversation with Williams, crying out in agony when he lies to Williams about being gay just to get a reaction out of her. Don Rickles is also present as one of the casino dealers, giving the film a bit of ammusement outside the few unintentionally funny moments. Unfortunately, his role is mainly a dramatic one.
What's really surprising about this film is how dull it is even with its flashy setting, never using it to good advantage to show Las Vegas in a realistic manner. This version of the city of lights seems so sanitized that this could be set in an alternative universe. I spent more time watching Drivas and Forsythe to see if there's two their hairstyles would ever move, and of course they don't. Janssen under plays his role to the point where he becomes very unbelievable as the casino owner, and even his yelling out many of his lines doesn't make him intimidating as the boss. For a film trying so hard to be hip and where it's at, it lacks the oomph to really strike a chord either as a good film or as a time capsule.