Vince Vaughn's Sing-Along in Nic Pizzolatto's Lo-Fi Vegas Drama

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A Laid-Back Journey Through Las Vegas

Nic Pizzolatto, the creator of True Detective, has directed a new film titled Easy's Waltz. The movie is an interesting mix of charm and restraint. While it promises a smooth and effortless experience, it only partially delivers on that promise. Pizzolatto’s direction takes a relaxed approach, moving at a slow and easy pace. However, this lack of urgency sometimes makes it feel like the film isn’t quite waltzing as much as it’s meandering.

Vince Vaughn plays Easy, a Vegas nightclub singer who is trying to find respectable work in whatever venue will take him. His more energetic brother, Sam (Simon Rex), acts as his manager while also pursuing other schemes. The two are stuck in a middle-aged limbo, with no real progress in their lives. Their situation reflects a sense of stagnation, as they seem just as purchaseless now as they were 20 years ago.

An opportunity arises when Mickey Albano (Al Pacino), a grizzled old Strip rat, offers Easy a big gig at the Wynn resort. Mickey used to be a performer and now oversees entertainment for the glitzy hotel. He appreciates Easy’s throwback style, which brings a nostalgic touch to the film. However, there is a hint of trouble in the air, especially with Sam chasing after Mickey’s girlfriend, Lucy (Kate Mara). This sets up potential conflict, but Pizzolatto doesn’t push the story into darker territory.

The film moves through its retro vision of Las Vegas, highlighting the city’s crooners, magicians, barflies, and bosses. It’s all pleasant enough, but one wishes the movie had more energy to really engage the audience. Pizzolatto seems to avoid the dark, complex elements that defined his earlier work on True Detective. Perhaps he’s simply tired or wants to explore a different style.

Music plays a significant role in the film, with pop songs like "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and Pat Benatar's "We Belong" slowed down to create a wistful effect. Easy isn’t so much a lounge lizard as a lounge lamb—kind and empathetic, qualities reflected in his sincere singing. Vaughn has a great voice for karaoke, but his performance as a Vegas singer isn’t entirely convincing. This becomes even more apparent when a snippet of his performance goes viral online, something that feels out of place in the film’s otherwise low-key narrative.

What saves the film from becoming too tedious are its sharp dialogue and the laid-back performances of the cast. Vaughn shines in a more subdued role, reminding viewers of his dramatic acting skills from earlier in his career. Kate Mara brings warmth and strength to her character, though she remains underdeveloped. Al Pacino delivers a slightly more engaging performance than usual, showing off his versatility. Simon Rex continues to prove his talent as an indie film actor.

The film’s modest ambitions are supported by the actors’ commitment to Pizzolatto’s understated vision. There’s an offbeat amiability to Easy's Waltz that wouldn’t have been possible without the cast’s cooperation. Only Mary Steenburgen, playing Easy and Sam’s mother, brings some theatrical flair, though this may be more a result of the script than her performance.

As a director, Pizzolatto doesn’t attempt much in terms of visual flair. In fact, the opposite is true. The technical aspects of the film can be clunky, particularly the sound design. Some nightclub scenes feel eerily silent, with no background noise or conversation, making the film feel amateurish at times. It almost feels like the actors stumbled into a student film.

Despite these shortcomings, Easy's Waltz is a harmless and fleeting curio. It’s a piece of ephemera that moves along like a song that isn’t quite catchy enough to get stuck in your head. It has the decency to do its thing and then leave you alone. If Vince Vaughn once told Pizzolatto about his love of singing, and the filmmaker wanted to give him a platform to do that, then that’s a perfectly nice reason for a movie to exist.