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Made 2001 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Jon Favreau
R, 93 min. (pervasive language, drug use, sexuality) |
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Starring: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Sean Combs, Peter Falk, Famke Janssen, Faizon Love, David O'Hara, Vincent Pastore, Makenzie Vega
Producers: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn
Screenplay: Jon Favreau
Distributor: Artisan Entertainment
Released: 7/13/01 (Limited) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
Following the success of Swingers, one of 1996's best comedies, fans of the movie eagerly awaited for a sequel. However,
it took five years for Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn to accomodate those fans, and with Made, written and directed by
Favreau, they prove that they've still got the magic. Witty, clever, and painfully hilarious, Made carves out a niche for itself,
and, even though it doesn't inhabit the same characters from Swingers, plunges the viewer into the lives of two new
characters that have many similarities to the original ones.
This time around Favreau carves out a story involving two best friends. One, Bobby (Favreau), is a wannabe boxer with
minimal talent but a hard-working mentality. The other, Ricky (Vaughn), basically exists to make life difficult for Bobby, who
is eternally in Ricky's debt for taking the fall in a crime he committed when they were young. Bobby is constantly defending Ricky at their work, which
sees Ricky doing little more than spouting wise-cracks and sweeping the floor at a construction site. Their boss, Max (Peter
Falk) is finally willing to give Bobby a chance to move up in his various business ventures. Against his better judgment, Bobby
vouches for Ricky for a job that requires them to travel to New York in a simple drop operation. From the get-go, Ricky
sees the trip as a chance for partying and mayhem, while Bobby must simply sit back and endure the embarassment of
Ricky's various antics. When they meet their contact, Ruiz (Sean Combs), a simple drop turns into a near disaster because
of Ricky's immaturity and ineptitude.
This film is clearly about Vince Vaughn. Favreau's character is more of less the anchor of the picture, keeping the audience
in touch with what's important, while Vaughn musters every conceivable diatribe of humiliation he can think of at Favreau.
Since Favreau wrote the screenplay, he's obviously playing to the same audience that loved Vaughn's character in Swingers.
Although the two characters have similarities, they are not the same. Ricky is an immature, self-involved baby that only
seems to be able to turn even the simplest chores into the hardest tasks. Whether it be inappropriate dialogue with a flight
attendant or just plain stupidity when meeting a mob boss, Ricky is almost unforgivable. But that's the heart of the film -
Bobby must attempt to control Ricky, while at the same time accomplish their mission.
As many screenwriters will attest, comedies are the most difficult stories to write. Effective jokes usually work only when an audience
is unprepared for a comedic situation that arises from seemingly nowhere. Vaughn and Favreau know this, and they play
these notes as if they were concert pianists playing their signature piece over and over again - they almost always get it right.
They are good friends off screen as well, and it shows in their work. I can only imagine how many takes it took to get
certain scenes just right.
Made isn't necessarily a great comedy, but it more than makes up for plot deficiencies and pedestrian pacing with two actors
that were made for their respective roles. To me, they seem like a future Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau combo that will
only increase their fans' appetites for more of the same. I'm sure with the ground swell of support that this film will receive,
another similar film pairing the two again is a foregone conclusion.
© 2001 Jonathan Cornwell
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| Masterpiece - Classic; Movie perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See; One of the year's best films |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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