5 Times Nicolas Cage's Film Meltdowns Worked (And 5 Times They Didn't)
7. Good: Apartment On The Beach (Leaving Las Vegas, 1996)
Best line: "Maybe I shouldn't breathe so much, Terri. HA HAAA!"
Leaving Las Vegas is one of the best Cage performances of all time and even won him the Oscar for best actor in 1996. Not bad considering he was up against the likes of Anthony Hopkins for his role in Nixon and Sean Penn for Dead Man Walking.
The film is an honest look at the horrifying effects of alcoholism as Cage plays screenwriter Ben Sanderson, who decides to drink himself to death in Las Vegas.
Cage himself confessed he never thought he would get nominated for an Academy award due to the low budget indie feel to the movie and so gave himself license to roam free and experiment. These experiments included locking a drunken poet in his trailer, making note of any of his inebriated rambles and mannerisms whilst Cage rhythmically played the bongos.
In this scene, Ben strikes up a conversation with Terri (Valeria Golino) at a bar and proceeds to embarrass himself in an attempt to hit on her.
Cage wonderfully portrays a clumsy, drunken wreck of a man and impressively manages to show not only the desperation of Ben but the sadness behind his actions.