| The
Review: |
In "Swingers," we're introduced
to a guy named Mikey (Jon Favreau), an all-around kind of
guy who spends his days in Los Angeles searching for ways
to forget about the girlfriend he left back in New York City
six months ago. He complains to his friends that he is unable
to cope with the fact that she has not called in the months
since he left, and he is plagued with wondering why she hasn't
called, and what reasons could exist for this. In short, he's
basically obsessed. ***
His friend Trent (Vince Vaughn),
a fast-talking, smooth-looking, trend follower with bravado
and machismo appeal to spare attempts various methods of trying
to bring Mikey out of his relationship rut. He takes him on
a nightly outing to Las Vegas, where the two blow three hundred
dollars and end up spending the morning with a waitress and
an actress as a way of opening Mikey up to new avenues of
getting over his grief. For a moment, it looks as if he truly
will take the plunge, but no sooner does Trent leave the room
than he begins talking about his past. ***
As far as movies go, the first and
second acts of "Swingers" are a tough sell. We watch as the
characters drift from place to place, bar to bar, party to
party, and I'm telling you, the interest in watching this
is about the equivalent of that blonde standing next to you
at a party that just won't shut her mouth. We're not sure
of where the material is headed, and on more than one occassion,
it appears to have no clear-cut destination. ***
The characters themselves are equally
uninteresting. Vaughn's character's constant ramblings about
making it big with the ladies and his unending utterings of
the words "money" and "baby" become annoying and obnoxious.
In Favreau, however, we see the beacon of hope, that light
at the end of the tunnel that we're almost certain is going
to salvage what is left of the material and make it at the
very least watchable. ***
And that he does (if you have not
seen the movie, you may not want to read on from here). Mikey
happens upon a shy girl named Marie (Heather Graham) in a
bar one night: the two share a very passionate dance that
really kicks things up for the audience as well as these two
characters, who also share the experience of letting go of
someone they loved before. After this, see his character begin
to realize how much of his time he wasted, and how much easier
it is to find someone without resorting to the tactics of
dressing like "money" and flaunting cash and testosterone
all over the place. ***
And that's the beauty of "Swingers,"
its ability to resurrect what appears to be moribund material
through a single character's uplift. That we have come to
root for Mikey as a human being gives us a reason to understand
him, why he refuses to act like his friends, and why he clings
to a life that no longer exists: because he has a heart. ***
Through his eyes, we also come to
the realization that the over-the-top methods of his friends
in their attempts to get phone numbers and a piece of booty
aren't so different from the tactics used by people in real
life. The dating system seen in "Swingers" is so intune to
the workings of our society's singletons, bringing out the
desperation that so many people hide beneath image, appearance,
and attitude. Mikey is someone who sees these traits in those
who surround him, and he doesn't want it; he's better than
that. He can do more than that. It's nice to see that people
can still come together in a relationship without resorting
to these influences, and for that, the movie is a winner.
*** -------- ***
Reuniting after their work as costars
in the film "Swingers," Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau come
together in "Made," a movie that is about the politics of
acting, dialogue, slick production values, and little else.
The plot behind the men is interesting enough in its own "Reservoir
Dogs" way, but it is the unbeatable forces of the performances
and how the cast members chew on the dialogue like a juicy
steak that make this effort worthwhile. ***
Favreau plays Bobby, a down-on-his-luck
contruction worker whose girlfriend (Famke Janssen) strips
for money, and then some. Vaughn plays Ricky, Bobby's lifelong
friend who works by his side and also dabbles in hustling.
When the opportunity to score some major cash from mob boss
Max (Peter Falk), who gives them a mafia job to perform in
New York City, Bobby sees it as a way to finally settle down
with his girl, while Ricky sees it as a way to make a name
for himself in the underworld of shady dealings. ***
Seeing as how Favreau also takes
credit as the writer and director of "Made," it should come
as no surprise that the characters seen here are strikingly
similar to those of their previous collaboration. Bobby is
a mild-mannered man who plays by the rules; he finds its unsettling
that Ricky amuses himself by overindulging in their newly-acquired
lifestyle. He fears that Ricky's thirst for popularity and
fame will cause their mission to go downhill, and they argue
repeatedly over how they should act when out in public. ***
I'll admit, I wasn't the first
one to stand up and praise "Swingers," but as that film progressed,
it developed itself into something unexpectedly warm. "Made"
is not that type of a movie: the characters are somewhat distant
and cold, with Bobby being the only one with any real moral
value, and the subject matter is much darker and more dangerous
than the previous film. The story itself is a piece in search
of an identity, unsure of whether or not it wants to be a
mystery, a comedy, or a human drama. ***
Take, for instance, the subplot
involving a briefcase of money that is to be delivered to
Max. There is little energy to this plotline particularly
because we're unaware of the details from the get-go, and
as things progress, there is little development of tension.
The comedy derives from watching Bobby and Ricky constantly
fumble their way through their mission; some instances are
humorous, others more serious in tone. And as for the human
aspect, when most of the characters save for one are so despicable,
and show no signs of repentance (in this case, Bobby's girlfriend),
it's hard to relate to them on a deeper level. The only one
we can relate to is Bobby, who wants nothing more than to
finish the job, go home, and be done with that aspect of his
life and move on. ***
However unfocused these aspects
of the movie are, they do not take away from the ultra-slick
look of the movie, which slides along at a brisk pace on its
actors and overall bravado. Favreau and Vaughn show great
ability here, adding such zest and gusto to their dialogue
that there no choice but to surrender to their potency. There
is the feeling that Favreau, as a director, is channeling
Quentin Tarantino with his street-savvy lines and crack-like-a-whip
production, but what's more interesting is watching how he
manages to one-up his predecessor by instilling a great deal
of interest in material that, without he and Vaughn, would
seem lifeless and boring. ***
"Made" is what it is, and those
looking for something more than that will undoubtedly be confused.
Just kick back, relax, and watch two gifted actors do what
they do best.
|
| The
Extras |
For those
of you who just can't get enough of Jon Favreau and Vince
Vaughn working together, well, now you have the chance to
own their two collaborations in one complete package. Mind
you, it's just the two separate editions thrown into a single
box, but the movies make for a nice evening, and the features
included with "Made" will most likely please film lovers.
All that has been included with "Swingers" is a theatrical
trailer, but "Made" has a wealth of features accompanying
it. ***
First
up are three featurettes, the first of which is "Getting it
Made." This featurette goes behind-the-scenes to examine the
creation of the movie, from Favreau's experience on the set
of "The Sopranos," and how that affected his writing the script,
the gathering of cast members and using a Union crew, and
the short filming schedule. Following this is "The Creative
Process," a look at the writing of the script during which
the cast and crew point out various points and aspects of
the plot. "Making the Music of Made" talks about the integration
of the music to fit the personality and friendship of the
two main characters. ***
Also included
are a scene-editing workshop in which you are allowed to take
a specific scene and change angles and the order in which
they appear, and then compare this to the final cut. The deleted
scenes are interesting, as are the outtakes, and even some
unused musical cues have been inserted here as well. --
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