In St. John of Las Vegas Steve Buscemi engages his homely persona as John Alegheri, a reformed compulsive gambler living a mundane life working for an insurance company. One day, he asks his boss, Mr. Townsend (Peter Dinklage) for a raise and suddenly becomes the company’s newest insurance fraud investigator. Forced to work with Virgil (Romany Malco,) denying this claim, he begins a journey that turns into a peculiar sort of madness similar to the adventures of another Alegheri who descended into The Inferno in the first part of Dante Alighieri's epic poem “ The Divine Comedy.” If this recollection seems fuzzy, check with any senior English major for confirmation.
Before he departed on this quest, John has a brief fling with his cubicle mate Jill (Sarah Silverman) who is addicted to the smiley face creature wishing everyone to Have a Good Day. She even paints this image on her fingernails and calls John frequently during his trek proclaiming her love. Oh well.
They find the claimant, Tasty D. Lite, a stripper in a wheelchair, who claims a loss of nearly $200,000 in income since she no longer can do lap dances. John quickly disproves this claim. While searching for the damaged car, they approach a ranch with an entry surrounded by flames and guarded by gun-toting nudist survivalists. Entry is only by disrobing, so Virgil and John decline that option and sleep in the car. Sent by the sheriff to talk to the tow-truck driver that hauled the strippers’ car away, they find him in his part-time job as a circus performer sitting in his flame-retardant suit that frequently erupts in flames wishing for a cigarette. Directed to the next stop, a junk yard, John is attacked and barely escape with his life.
Meanwhile, John continues his gambling habit, betting on scratch tickets. A final scene finds him abstaining from that addiction. Or does he? And what happened with Virgil as the final resolution winds down in this frolic?
This quirky bizarre tale is a great satirical trip with Buscemi at his geekiest best in this epic adventure.
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