Friday, June 5, 2015

Entourage Movie-A fun summer romp


I know I say over and over that Hollywood needs to start making better and more original movies, I am so sick of remakes, sequels and remaking sequels - cut to the one exception I will make – A film based on a TV series about the “ins and outs” of Hollywood itself.  Entourage is that movie!

If you have been living under a rock for the past 10 years let me sum up the plot of both show and movie. Vincent Chase is an actor living in LA (in the same house) with his two best friends and older brother, he has an agent and a PR person each helping him (in their own way) as he makes movies, money and growing fame.

The movie Written and Directed by Doug Ellin and Produced by Mark Wahlberg, picks up a few months after the show ended and the boys don’t miss a beat. There is Vince played by Adrian Grenier, our Hollywood crush and star still at the top of his game and in the middle of yet another sexy party (on a yacht) when he meets up again with his entourage. He is in the middle of deciding what project to do next when he calls Ari Gold ( I want an Ari) played by the magnificent Jeremy Piven, his ex-agent now head of the studio who already has the perfect movie lined up for him, there’s a catch Vince wants to direct and that's all I can say. It sounds like a simple plot and it is but the movie isn’t about the sex, silliness and macho whatever that some would want you to believe. It’s really a story about these five guys who would do anything for each other.

There is Eric “E” Murphy played by Kevin Connelly, who if Vince is the heart of the group E is the soul. He started as Vince’s friend, turned manager and now producer. A character who has had his share of love interest but with his on again, off again girlfriend Sloan played by Emmanuelle Chrqui about to have his baby he has a few personal choices to make. There is “Turtle”  played by Jerry Ferrara who stayed out of showbiz but is always there to drive Vince wherever he needed to be. No longer the chubby other friend living on Vince’s dime Turtle has made it big, “not telling anyone how much money he has made”, in the tequila business and now allows his friends to sleep on his “couch”. And where would Vince be without his brother Johnny Drama played by Kevin Dillon. Drama’s career has had its ups and downs and so Vince gives him a part, "only four scenes," in his new film but Johnny’s personal and professional drama never ends.

Entourage is and has always been a story about friendship and those who are some of the most important people in our lives (including they relationship between Ari and his ex- assistant, yes even Lloyd played by Rex Lee has return for the film and watching them is just as wonderful as before). Yes there are a lot of cameos in the movie but there were a lot in the show too, in fact some of the cameos (like Bob Saget and Andrew Dice Clay) are those who appeared (more than once) in the series and after all that is what happens in LA you drive around and the next thing you know so and so is parked at the stop light next to you (so I’ve heard)

The movie also stars Billy Bob Thorton, Haley Joel Osment, Alan Dale, Perry Reeves back as Ari's "long and suffering" wife, Debi Mazar back as Shauna and Constance Zimmer back as Dana.

In the end like the show did Entourage moves at a fast pace and the (almost) two hours go by quick. It has everything that a celebrity watcher like myself wants in a movie about movies (The viewer even gets a quick peak at the film within the film and like with Aquaman and Medellin I want to see Vincent Chase’s directorial debut “Hyde”) and from the opening credits that included the original TV show theme music and font style to the happy Hollywood ending I smiled, laughed and enjoyed getting to spend some (more) time with Vince and his Entourage.

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