Made

Rating:
Summary: Good work, but...
Review: Favreau's directorial debut shows the hand of a promising director. The cast gives very strong performances throughout and the witty banter between the leads is natural and entertaining. Unfortunately, Vince Vaughn is given too much latitude to riff and becomes quite irritating by the end of the piece. The audience is left wondering why anyone would hang out with this guy. The director, Favreau, misses opportunities to present another side to Vaughn, and we really miss that other layer. Technically, the film is rough and at times unprofessional. This gives it a raw quality, but somehow not in a good way as it did with Swingers. Still, there's a lot of good stuff here. Favreau, as an actor, continues to show his ability to get the audience behind him. Famke Janssen is great as always. And Peter Falk is a lot of fun.

Rating:
Summary: Favreau's Made another winner!
Review: Made is so money! Probably because auteur Jon Farveau is behind and responsible for it.

Jon-Jon's swinging back into theaters with his long anticipated follow-up to Swingers, which he also wrote and starred in. Egomaniac? No just a mega-talented beau.

Swingers also launched that tall glass of man, Vince Vaughn, into the mainstream. Scrumptious, and talented. Two words: Evil sexy!

Made almost rejoins the Swingers characters Jon and Vince immortalized, as Mike and Trent. The Ying-n-Yang of friends. They're similar in that Vaughn is that same kind of lounge-lizard-esque con man without a con, dimwitted with an air of ill-placed superiority and Favreau is his signature calm steady, studying fellow just trying to make it in the big bad voodoo world. The wanna be tough guy/schmuckazoid with the heart of gold. Both are as relaxed and realistic as with their last teaming.

The dialog too is, once again, entertaining fast paced and remarkably believable. If you love voyeuristic films where the film maker almost gives an eerie spying-on-their-lives-as-they-live-them sensation, Made's been made for you.

But, please don't get me wrong. This is no remake, or hack-fest-rip-off extravaganza where a one-shot hotshot writer rewrites a couple of scenes from his first script, then repackages it with a hip title and slips it under the publics' noses. No. Made is fresh and original with two buddies who happen to be similar to his past work....

Favreau, who wrote and directed this, has once again successfully mixed action, comedy and drama in equal parts. Subtle pieces, like the boys' continual arguing which leaves them progressively cut and bruised in the film, or the rapid cliche' ridden banter by Vaughn, just ad to the hilarity of Made.

He and Vaughn shine so brightly together, they snagged Made's whole 1000 watt spotlight and left a 15 watt bulb for the rest of the equally bright cast.

Actress, Famke Janssen, is her usual impeccable self. Once again she brings to the screen another femme fatale played to perfection. She was gorgeous as Jesse the stripper/single mom Bobby's willing to end up sleeping with the fishes for.

Sean Combs was okay. Nothing spectacular or Oscar worthy...I'll wait till his next outing to judge da man. Evidently he's been Commander McBragging all around the press circuit about his spectacular performance. Maybe they edited it?

Vince Vaughn had me all hot and bothered to be sure. Thank goodness he was so obnoxious in this' because at his last, sadly, hardly seen movie, The Cell, I had to be reprimanded by pimply multiplex staffettes a few times for cat calling at the screen. Here, by shear repulsion of the character, I was able to maintain a remarkably calm composure. That tall hunky mankabab sandwich !

Get out and see this as soon as you can. Be there opening day, if you know of Farveau's work. He'll be hosting a "talk" show on cable's Independent Film Channel .

Rating:
Summary: Favreau and Vaughn double down with gusto
Review: When it comes time for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to write their second movie together, will they have the guts to parody their much-beloved prior creations? Only time will answer that question. Another celebrated (although on a smaller scale) film partnership has taken on a second kick at the can, and I'm here to report that their guts are in fine fighting form.

I went into this one giving Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn the benefit of the doubt. I wasn't going to judge "Made" solely against "Swingers", but rather on its own merits. Well, I needn't have worried about objectivity; Jon and Vince want you to know and love "Swingers". Furthermore, they want you to come along for the ride as they cheerily subvert that much-loved movie. The in-jokes fly fast and furious as "Made" parodies and deconstructs the "Swingers" mystique. Some clues to this are subtle: the limousine the boys ride around in is emblazoned with the license plate 'DBLDN11'. Sharp eyed "Swingers" fans (actually, you don't have to be sharp eyed at all; the plate makes at least a dozen clear appearances in the film) will know what that means. Other clues are more clandestine. An early scene has Vaughn's character Ricky expressing a desire to look for some "honeys". Whereas the same request from "Swingers" Trent Walker would have resulted in said "honeys" arriving swiftly, Ricky's request is met with much scorn. Small examples like these are scattered throughout the film.

Favreau, who wrote "Swingers" and gets to add a director credit to his resume with "Made", shows that he still has a certain flair for dialogue. There are no certain catchphrases here (although I'm going to do my best to help "Color Me That" catch on), but the characters are still defined by what they say and how they say it. Favreau manages to construct a plausible story here, one that does its best to right itself after several times threatening to veer off-track. He leaves enough holes in the character's pasts (why does Bobby feel the need to protect Ricky?) to give them a certain mysterious depth, but not too much or else they wouldn't be as much fun. Favreau the director acquits himself well. He has his own way to setup scenes and frame shots, and quickly develops a visual style that is appealing and effective. However, there were moments when his camera moved a tad too much, but those moments were sparse enough to overlook. Favreau the actor, while taking the less showy part for himself, is really the foundation of the movie. He resigns himself to seething quietly when Ricky goes off on one of his rants. His most effective scenes are with Chloe (Makenze Vega), the daughter of his girlfriend (Famke Janssen). His pseudo-father figure is classy and protective, and their scenes together are quite sweet.

Vince Vaughn delivered one of my all-time favourite film performances with his sexy-cool Trent Walker in "Swingers". It's one of those performances where the whole movie sags until he comes back on the screen. Here, you think he's going back to the same place. But Vaughn (and Favreau's writing) quickly subverts that. Other than the line mentioned above, there's at least one other telling moment. Ricky and Bobby fly to New York, and spend their first flight in first class. Ricky, a bumbling screw-up, repeatedly pesters the stewardess with asinine questions. He thinks he's being charming, but the stewardess and Bobby and the whole audience knows he isn't. When he inevitably gets shot down, I realized what Ricky was all about. He's the type of guy, uncool on his own, who's seen "Swingers" too many times, identified with Trent a bit too much, and now thinks he's cool by association. This little exchange with the stewardess mirrors a similar one that Trent had with a Vegas waitress. Where Trent's obnoxiousness came off as charming and attractive (his waitress falls for him hard), Ricky's derivative obnoxiousness is just... well... obnoxious. It's a great bit of self-reflexivity that Vaughn pulls off perfectly. His motormouth act nearly becomes annoying, but Vaughn knows exactly how to reign Ricky in so that he's purely entertaining.

The supporting cast is littered with some low-key, but effective performances. Vincent Pastore plays the limo driver with a hint of Zen madness. Faizon Love, as a burly henchman with a coke problem, looks tough but is really just as clueless as his charges; he's some fun. The aforementioned Famke Janssen, as a stripper, has little to do, and looks wretched doing it. Peter Falk manages to play his small time hood with both over-the-top glee and subtle irritation. The most notable of the supporting characters is a showboating gangster named Ruiz, played by the noted thespian Sean Combs. Puffy actually manages to imbue some menace and some stylish cool into Ruiz. He doesn't necessarily bring anything new or original to the role; it's a textbook gangster part that he easily pulls off. (N.B. Look for small, dialogue-less cameos by Jonathan Silverman and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello)

"Made" is littered with some fine comic moments. The opening boxing scene, splayed out neatly over the credits, has the audience laughing from the get go. The 'Red Dragon' scene will have you squirming incredulously in your seat. There's an outrageous moment about halfway through, outside a club, that will have the "Saved by the Bell"-literate viewer grinning with delight. And the denouement is equal parts ridiculous and surreal, while being oddly touching. It neatly subverts the rest of the movie just like "Swingers" final scene did. For these reasons and more, I found myself enjoying "Made" tremendously, and impressed with Favreau and Vaughn, who are now two-for-two in my book. I'll follow them down whatever road they choose next.

Rating:
Summary: Embarrassing 50's-era gay stereotype mars otherwise GREAT movie.
Review: Asinine 50's-era gay stereotype mars otherwise GREAT movie.

"Made" is a truly funny movie, well paced, well-written, acted and directed.

But about a third of the way through, there's this scene with an effeminate gay interior designer-- striped hair, pink coat-- who sexually harasses the workers until they threaten to beat the crap out of him. He takes their names and has them fired.

I was very upset by this scene. I wanted to like the movie. There's so much to like here. But it took me a long time to get back into it after that.

There are other gay slams throughout, which is fine. I'm a writer, so I know you have to be true to your characters and some characters are homophobic. But this interior designer character was different. It isn't real. I've been "out" for twenty years and I've lived in New York, the Midwest, the south and Los Angeles, including West Hollywood. I'VE never seen a gay guy like this. Never. And I'm betting with Jon Favreau's limited (we have to assume) contact with gays, HE hasn't either. This character is an assembly of cliches and stereotypes he's seen in other movies and heard about from homophobic friends.

But there's a bigger problem. By putting the gay guy in the position of powerful harasser, Favreau seems to be asserting that the social problems of the working class are caused by effete fags, not by inherently exploitative economic policies.

I'm not saying, "Don't see the movie." It's a GOOD movie. REALLY funny. But I wish I'd known this character was in it before I saw it so I could decide whether I wanted to spend money supporting it or not.

Rating:
Summary: Made
Review: Made is a very funny movie about two "stooges" who are trying to make it in the Mob. Jon Favreau plays the straight man, and Vince Vaughn is a terrific funny-man. He is the Oscar to Favreau's Felix, and they certainly do make an odd couple. The film starts in Los Angeles, and takes them to New York where they are on a seemingly simple assignment, but Vaughn makes sure to get them in trouble at every turn. Sean Combs (P-Diddy) also stars as a Mob middle man with whom they are working. He gives a surprisingly good performance, reprimanding Favreau and Vaughn as they fumble their way through the film. The great chemistry (Swingers) is apparent, and Vaughn's delivery of a well-written script is sure to make you laugh.

Rating:
Summary: Another classic that should NOT be missed.
Review: I saw Made at an advanced USC screening and absolutely loved the movie. I'm a huge fan of 'Swingers' and was anxious for the opportunity to see Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau team up again. I was a bit hesitant at first because I didn't want the same jokes to be repeated (after all, my friends and I have run the jokes through their nine lives already) and I wanted a different environment for the dynamic duo to strut their stuff. Well, I recieved all that and more. Once again, I must say the dialogue is the highlight of the movie. I love the banter that goes back and forth between the two stars, and a couple surprise guest stars add to the mix wonderfully. If you see this movie with a bunch of friends, you'll definitely come away from the movie repeating some of the lines! Go see it...and when it comes out on DVD...buy it.

Rating:
Summary: As far as I can tell,
Review: the only reason many people couldn't stand this movie was because it was a darker, crueler comedy; not as "cute" or as easily digestable as "Swingers". That was the whole point for Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, to do something different while playing off of audiences' expectations of their characters. The character of Ricky is basically Trent five years down the road from "Swingers". Anyway, the writing in "Made" is razor-sharp, the leads are stellar, and the supporting cast members are all pitch-perfect. Even with P. Diddy Puff Daddy Puff Puffy Puffaluffagus Puffmaster 2000 in a supporting role, I'm saying they were pitch perfect. I liked this movie more than "Swingers" overall.

Rating:
Summary: I Liked The Movie But It Is Not For Everyone
Review: Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn don't make your standard cookie-cutter type movies like a Clint Eastwood. The movie, "Made", will not be enjoyed by everyone and it will never gross 200 million. It's an off-beat, quirky kind of movie about two friends hired by a 'wise guy' to do some funny business. Vince Vaughn plays Ricky, an eccentric screw-up that can't keep his mouth shut. Jon Favreau's character, Bobby is a boxer who is in love with a prostitute. She has a wonderful little girl who becomes attached to Bobby. He takes this job with Ricky in order to score some cash so he can secure his girl friend's future and get her off of prostitution. Ricky's over-the-top behavior almost screws up the 'drop' but he pulls off a surprise. The movie is funny, interesting and entertaining. However, it's is not as good as the one that made Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn famous, i.e. "Swingers". As a big fan of Favreau and Vaughn my opinion is biased. I loved this movie but it is not for everyone!

Rating:
Summary: "Made" Review
Review: I don't see why people say "Most wont like it." I thought it was pretty funny. I got this DVD for $5 a Walmart, but I would have paid full price. I think anyone instrested in the Mafia humor should check this out. Anyone in general should check this out, it's not bad at all.

Rating:
Summary: excellent movie made on a budget
Review: Please don't assume you're getting another Swingers just because of the Favreau/Vaughn combo. What you are getting is perfect chemistry between two great actors, hilarious ad-libs, dialogue and movement that plays so natural you feel like a peeping tom instead of an audience. This movie has great tension that isn't ruined by the comedic moments, and it bears repeated viewing, because you can only truly appreciate the comedy once the tension is broken. Vince Vaughn will make you cringe as a bumbling would-be mobster. You're sure that he is going to get himself or both men killed with his big mouth. Amazingly, at the end of it all, is a moment between Favreau's character Bobby and the little girl Chloe that brings me to tears every time I see it. Jon Favreau is a brilliant writer and director and the chemistry between him and Vince Vaughn is unbeatable. Buy this movie, watch it, and watch it again. And again.