Almost two decades before Jon Favreau was ringing in his summers with the release of his latest $100 million budget action flick (Cowboys and Aliens), he was just another broke Hollywood actor fielding calls from his concerned mother - the crucial distinction being he was simultaneously penning what was soon to become one of the best bromance movies of all time, Swingers. Based on the day-to-day lives of a group of young out-of-work actors, the film triumphs in its portrayal of those oh-so-relatable moments in a young person’s life from the hilarity of the hangover breakfast to the pain of the break-up recovery. Swingers holds a rightful place in hangout movie royalty, perfect for those nights when all you wanna do is stay in and laugh with your friends. And now you can relish in the good times of Vince Vaughn and company in striking Blu-ray high definition. How “money” is that?
Bursting at the seams with witty dialogue, male behavioral insights (pardon the female perspective here), and good old fashioned misadventures, Swingers is that rare brand of comedy that you can actually admit to liking no matter what company you’re in. Favreau stars as Mike, a glass half-empty kind of guy whose heart has just been broken by his girlfriend of six years and therefore finds himself even mopier than usual. Enter Trent (Vince Vaughn), a fun loving womanizer - glass half-full, all the way - who makes it his mission to get Mike back in the game. Vaughn shines in what is arguably the best role of his career. It certainly doesn’t take much to see why Swingers put him on the fast track to household name-hood, with his haughty charm, quick tongue and adorable puppy dog eyes (sorry, female perspective again).
Unless you’ve been living under some sort of sedimentary stone since the year 1996, chances are you’ve been exposed to the vernacular of Swingers, whether you were aware of it or not. The film begs to be quoted at every turn and quite often is. When Favreau questions his manlihood after getting turned on by a girl in a Dorothy costume, Vaughn reassures him, “No, baby, you’re money.” In another scene between the two, Vaughn gives Favreau some invaluable advice on the art of the pick-up: “I don't want you to be the guy in the PG-13 movie everyone's really hoping makes it happen. I want you to be like the guy in the rated R movie, you know, the guy you're not sure whether or not you like yet.” It is this kind of endearing yet amusing dialogue that sets Swingers apart from its male bonding predecessors. While the film resonates with twenty-something males in the way Sex and the City clicks with thirty-something women, absolutely anyone can cherish the irresistible amusement of Vaughn standing on a diner table shouting with pride, “My baby’s all growns up!”
There are also an abundance of film references that will undoubtedly give movie buffs everywhere cause to rejoice. Director Doug Liman (and presumably Jon Favreau as influence) pay homage (with a little bit of mimicry thrown in there) to some of the best scenes in cinema such as Scorsese’s infamous steadicam scene in Goodfellas, the tracking 360° shot at the start of Reservoir Dogs and the opening jaunt of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Extra brownie points if you can catch a certain George Lucas reference on one of the characters’ license plates. . .
It must be admitted somewhere in the midst of all this acclaim that Swingers has its small flaws. Like all good things, moderation is key and once Trent calls Mike “baby” for about the forty-third time, even die-hard fans have to admit that the novelty has worn off a bit. There are also a couple of stylistic snags where Liman and Favreau’s all too evident Tarantino appreciation comes close to stepping on plain old imitation. The opening scene in which Mike and Rob (Ron Livingston) debate over the rules of break-up procedure in a diner booth is eerily resonant of Tarantino’s style, both in aesthetics and dialogue. As if foreseeing this glitch himself, Favreau slips in some clever one-liner about everybody stealing from everybody in the film industry and though this serves the scenes of tongue in cheek mimicry quite well, his ironic self-acknowledgement doesn’t quite cut it on the whole.
Even if the witty banter isn’t enough to get you through, there is no doubt that Swingers is a timeless testament of friendship. Trent is the friend we’d all like to have - loyal, selfless and possessing just enough arrogance to insure a good time will always be had. He’s the type of friend that will tell you, “You’re so money and you don’t even know it.” And for some reason, you believe him.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The audio commentary with Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn is certainly worth a go for those interested in the production process and is loaded with interesting trivia about a number of the cameos and shooting locales throughout the film. Also expect to hear both digress on their past skinnyness at one time or another. “Making it in Hollywood,” a 49-minute documentary, traces Swingers from script to release and provides an astonishing account of just how autobiographical Favreau’s story really is.
"Swingers" is on sale August 23, 2011 and is rated R. Comedy. Directed by Doug Liman. Written by Jon Favreau. Starring Heather Graham, Jon Favreau, Ron Livingston, Vince Vaughn.
