<P> Leaving Las Vegas had a limited release on October 27, 1995 . After praise from critics and four Academy Award nominations, the film was released nationwide February 9, 1996 . United Artists company distributed the film in North America, RCV Film Distribution with Atalanta Filmes in Europe, and in Australia 21st Century Film Corporation distributed the film . </P> <P> Leaving Las Vegas was received very well by critics . Critics such as Roger Ebert from Chicago Sun - Times and Rick Groen from The Globe and Mail gave the film high marks . Ebert wrote, "They (the characters) are the drunk and the whore with a heart of gold . Cage and Shue make these clichés into unforgettable people". Ebert named the film "best of 1995" and included it with his "best of the decade" list (Leaving Las Vegas was #8). Leonard Klady from Variety said 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 an approval rating of 90% based on 52 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7 / 10 . The website's critical consensus reads, "Oscar - awarded Nicolas Cage finds humanity in his character as it bleeds away in this no frills, exhilaratingly dark portrait of destruction ." It also holds a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 23 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Overall, the film was a success at the box office, particularly considering its budget, grossing $32,029,928 . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Award </Th> <Th> </Th> <Th> Subject </Th> <Th> Result </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Academy Award </Td> <Td> Best Actor </Td> <Td> Nicolas Cage </Td> <Td> Won </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Actress </Td> <Td> Elisabeth Shue </Td> <Td> Nominated </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Director </Td> <Td> Mike Figgis </Td> <Td> Nominated </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Adapted Screenplay </Td> <Td> Nominated </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> BAFTA Award </Td> <Td> Best Actor </Td> <Td> Nicolas Cage </Td> <Td> Nominated </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Actress </Td> <Td> Elisabeth Shue </Td> <Td> Nominated </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Adapted Screenplay </Td> <Td> Mike Figgis </Td> <Td> Nominated </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Golden Globe Award </Td> <Td> Best Director </Td> <Td> Nominated </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Actor--Motion Picture Drama </Td> <Td> Nicolas Cage </Td> <Td> Won </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Actress in a Motion Picture--Drama </Td> <Td> Elisabeth Shue </Td> <Td> Nominated </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Motion Picture--Drama </Td> <Td> Lila Cazès & Annie Stewart </Td> <Td> Nominated </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Independent Spirit Award </Td> <Td> Best Film </Td> <Td> Won </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Director </Td> <Td> Mike Figgis </Td> <Td> Won </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Screenplay </Td> <Td> Nominated </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Female Lead </Td> <Td> Elisabeth Shue </Td> <Td> Won </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Male Lead </Td> <Td> Nicolas Cage </Td> <Td> Nominated </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Best Cinematography </Td> <Td> Declan Quinn </Td> <Td> Won </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Award </Th> <Th> </Th> <Th> Subject </Th> <Th> Result </Th> </Tr>

Actress who was oscar nominated for the 1999 film leaving las vegas