Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 romantic drama film about a relationship between a suicidal alcoholic and a prostitute from Las Vegas, starring Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue, respectively. The film was directed and written by Mike Figgis, based on a semi-autobiographical novel by John O'Brien. Two weeks after the production of the film had started, O'Brien committed suicide. A halt of the project was considered, but work on the film was continued as a memorial of sorts.

Leaving Las Vegas was filmed in super 16mm instead of 35 mm film format, which is the basic film gauge most commonly used for motion pictures, although it is common for some art house films. After a limited release in the United States on October 27, 1995, the film received high critical praise. It made its nation-wide release on February 9, 1996, with moderate box office receipts, presumably because the film did not have a big marketing scheme, and it was fairly unknown until after the Academy Awards Ceremony of 1996. The critical success of the film did not surface immediately, however it was one of the most popular films for rental and sale in 1996 and 1997.

Nicolas Cage received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in this film. Elisabeth Shue was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the film also received nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director (Figgis).

Ben Sanderson (Cage) is a depressed alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter who has lost everything and almost everyone due to his incessant drinking. After finally losing his family and his job, he rids himself of all his possessions, and decides to commit suicide by alcohol consumption in Las Vegas. After arriving, he meets Sera (Shue), a prostitute, and a deep friendship and understanding develops between them.

The film begins with Ben walking into a restaurant and borrowing some money from his colleague Peter (Richard Lewis). He then proceeds directly to a bar and starts drinking. He attempts to pick up a pretty girl (Valeria Golino) and fails. After leaving the bar he visits a prostitute, and succeeds only in getting his wedding ring stolen. (It shows up again on his finger later in the film) He is then fired from his job as a screenwriter for alcohol related issues and is given a large severance package. He is then asked what is he going to do now and he states "I think I'll move out to Las Vegas". He then comes home and starts emptying his house by stuffing bedding in garbage bags, and creating a bonfire in his backyard on which he burns photographs, clothes, and other possessions. He then leaves for Las Vegas. As he drives drunkenly down the Las Vegas Strip, he almost hits a woman in the crosswalk (who turns out to be Sera) who chastises him verbally before walking away. Ben then checks himself into a sleazy motel called The Whole Year Inn.

In the meantime, the film introduces Sera (Elisabeth Shue), a Las Vegas prostitute who works for a pimp, Yuri Butso (Julian Sands), a Latvian immigrant. Yuri and Sera "share a volatile relationship where Yuri is the dominator and Sera is the masochist." Russian mobsters are after Yuri for an unknown matter; therefore, Yuri breaks his relationship with Sera in fear that Russians may hurt her. It frees Sera to continue to build her relationship with Ben.

On his second day in Las Vegas, Ben finds Sera, on the same street where he met her, introduces himself, and offers her $500 to go to his room for an hour. Sera agrees to go to his room, but she gets confused when Ben does not want to have sex with her. Instead, they just talk, and in the process they create an odd relationship with each other. Their relationship, however, is ultimately doomed; Sera has to promise Ben that she will never ask him to stop drinking, and Ben is not allowed to criticize Sera's occupation. At first the two are generally stable. Ben states that he is "totally at ease with this." (Sera's prostitution). However, after spending some time together, they both become more and more frustrated with the other's behavior. Over time, Sera attempts to get Ben to eat more healthily but sadly Ben refuses to even notice these actions as he stumbles for more alcohol. Finally, one night, Sera becomes so fed up with Ben's alcoholism that she begs him to go see a doctor. Ben, furious but far too intoxicated (possibly brain damaged at this point in the film, evidenced by his increasingly incoherent speech patterns) to express his feelings, goes out and brings another prostitute back to Sera's house. Sera returns home to find them together, and finally throws Ben out. Shortly afterwards, she is raped and beaten by three teenagers, and the injuries she sustains make her occupation publicly obvious. After being evicted, Sera finally receives a telephone call from Ben, who is on his deathbed. She goes to visit Ben, and they make love for the first time before he dies shortly after, in her arms while she sleeps.

Throughout the movie there are cut scenes to Sera who is explaining "what happened" to an unknown person (most likely a therapist).

Mike Figgis made this film possible by writing the script, directing, and composing the music for the soundtrack. In April of 1994, two weeks into the production, John O'Brien, author of the semi-autobiographical novel this film is based on, committed suicide. As a result, the production was stopped temporarily. Throughout production, Figgis had problems because permits were not issued for some street scenes. Hence, he filmed some scenes in one shot, to avoid any police contact. Also, Nicolas Cage researched his character by binge drinking in Dublin for two weeks and got a pal to videotape him under the influence so he could study his speech patterns. He later admitted that "it was one of the most enjoyable pieces of research I've ever had to do for a part."

The film was shot in Burbank, California, Los Angeles, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Laughlin, Nevada, and Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. Due to the low budget, that was estimated at $4,000,000, Figgis decided to film using a super 16mm format. The film had a limited release on October 27, 1995. After receiving high praise from critics, Leaving Las Vegas made its nation-wide release on February 9, 1996. The United Artists company distributed the film to U.S. theaters, while RCV Film Distribution with Atalanta Filmes distributed the film to European theaters, and in Australia, 21st Century Film Corporation distributed the film on VHS and the theatres.

Leaving Las Vegas premiered in Los Angeles, California in late 1995. The film was well received by critics scoring 82 metapoints out of 100. Such critics as Roger Ebert from Chicago Sun-Times and Rick Groen from Canadian The Globe and Mail gave this film 100 points. Roger Ebert said the following about the work the stars of the film have done, "they (the characters) are the drunk and the whore with a heart of gold. Cage and Shue make these cliches into unforgettable people." Leonard Klady from Variety stated that Leaving Las Vegas was "certainly among a scant handful of films that have taken an unflinching view of dependency." On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received 94% overall approval out of 31 reviews. Overall, the film had a success at the box office grossing $32,029,928

The screenplay takes much actual dialogue from the book. Nearly every line that is spoken by Ben or Sera is repeated in the film; however, there are many differences.

Yuri's name isn't Yuri in the novel. He goes by the name of "Al" and is Middle Eastern, going by the full name of Gamal Fathi.
Sera is raped by the teenage students before meeting Ben, not after.
In the scene where Ben asks Sera to dinner, the film shows her resisting him at first, going to Yuri then finding him again. In the novel, she accepts dinner right away.
In the novel we learn that Ben's final check was approximately $5,000. He also states that the only reason he uttered "I'm sorry!" to his boss was due to his boss crying, as they were good friends.
In the novel, Ben is already fired when we first meet him.
After being caught cheating on Sera at the end of the movie, Sera throws Ben out. In the novel she just cries as he goes to the couch, his deathbed.
When Ben and Sera are arguing about Ben's health near the end, he eats nothing. In the novel, he eats all the rice she gives him in his bowl.
In the movie Ben dies in a hotel room. In the book he dies on Sere's couch.

The video cassettes and DVD of the film were distributed by MGM. The video cassettes were distributed on November 12, 1996 in two languages, English and Russian, while the DVD was distributed on January 1, 2000 in English for USA and Canada only, later Australian and UK editions were released. The DVD contains a supplemental "Hidden Page" menu feature.

The success of Leaving Las Vegas has had a moderate affect on the media. It spawned a direct-spoof, Eating Las Vegas, about a binge eater who travels to Las Vegas to eat himself to death, and was referenced in the addiction-documentary Super Size Me (2002).

Soundtrack:
The following is a list of songs featured in the original soundtrack of the film.
"Intro Dialogue" (Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue) – 0:32
"Angel Eyes" (Sting) – 4:02
"Are You Desirable?" (John Doe, Brian Smith) – 2:43
"Ben & Bill" (Nicolas Cage) – 0:30
"Leaving Las Vegas" (Mike Figgis) – 3:12
"Sera's Dark Side" (Mike Figgis) – 1:26
"Mara" (Mike Figgis) – 4:28
"Burlesque" (Mike Figgis) – 2:40
"On The Street" (Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue) – 0:28
"Bossa Vega" (Mike Figgis) – 3:14
"Ben Pawns His Rolex/Sera Talks To Her Shrink" (Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue) – 0:37
"My One And Only Love" (Sting) – 3:36
"Sera Invites Ben To Stay" (Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue) – 0:31
"Come Rain Or Come Shine" (Don Heley) – 3:41
"Ben And Sera - Theme" (Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue) – 2:18
"Ridiculous" (Nicolas Cage) – 1:03
"Biker Bar" (Mike Figgis) – 3:44
"Ben's Hell" (Mike Figgis) – 1:37
"It's A Lonesome Old Town" (Sting) – 2:37
"Blues For Ben" (Mike Figgis) – 1:56
"Get Out" (Mike Figgis) – 1:49
"Reunited" (Mike Figgis) – 3:28
"Sera Talks To The Cab Driver" (Elisabeth Shue, Lou Rawls) – 0:23
"She Really Loved Him " (Mike Figgis) – 1:17
"I Won't Be Going South For A While" (The Palladinos) – 4:27