Made

I can't believe anyone could have seriously enjoyed this movie. This was no doubt one of the worst movies of the year. Vaughan's character couldn't have been any more annoying ! And Favreau was pretty much the same character he is in everything else I've seen him in. Sure, I loved Swingers too, but Vaughan and Favreau are one-role actors, always playing pretty much the same guys. I'm tired of them already. If you want to waste some more money go see Vaughan's new timewaster " The Prime Gig ". He's a little less annoying, but the movie is equally boring.

I tried not to have many pre-conceived notions about 'Made' before renting it. Then again, having Favreau/Vaughn together again will always conjure up thoughts of T & Mikey. Swingers may well haunt Favreau for the rest of his career. He alluded to that with his guest shot on 'The Sopranos'. It was a special movie, an instant classic which would be hard to top for any writer. 'Made' certainly tries to follow suit with the writing style but it falls flat. Vaughn (Ricky) plays a character who talks exactly like Trent but is more of a lunatic loser who's dream is to give up boxing to be a mob guy. Favreau (Bobby) is the level-headed friend who vouches for him while getting an assignment from his boss (Falk). All he wants is to get some $ so he can make better life for his stripper girlfriend & her child. Basically from there it splinters off into Ricky & Bobby trying to take care of 'the drop' in NYC for the boss (Falk). Ricky's "Goodfellas-like" mentality is causing headaches for Bobby who just wants to take care of business. I thought Sean Combs did a fine job playing himself essentially (a ganster living the high life). Yes, there are some funny lines but overall the movie is just too sloppy. It feels like a low budget flick, the camera work is not very good and the film takes no risks. Characters were not developed & the ending tries to be all sweet but I don't think enough was done to set that up. There were just too many missing ingredients. If Vaughn & Favreau want to do future films together maybe bring Doug Liman into direct it. He did a marvelous job with Swingers and maybe they could recapture some magic. It sure was missing in 'Made'.

Rating 6/10

Peter Falk? How can his acting be anything other than a perfect 10? Peter Falk is undeniably `money!' But, he does not make the whole movie, however. Nay, Peter Falk is only one part of what I would call `Swingers with Balls.' Swingers was a great movie, but Made was even better. `Made' is more in your face! Sure Vince Vaughn is more obnoxious in Made, and sure the characters are pretty close to the same as Swingers; nevertheless, I have this distinct feeling that if Made were released first, instead of Swingers, Made would have been the movie people were talking about, and not the other way around. Maybe it is just my personality and my love for the shock value in movies, but I just feel that this one was more on the `money.' Did I mention Peter Falk's great acting? Oh yeah, there is some real talent and dark humor in Jon Favreau's writing and directing. Jon cannot afford to make too many more movies like this one, and I hope he has some other creative colors in his pallet, but only time will tell, and I would love to see some more dark humor from this guy.

Jon Favreau's 'proper' follow-up to 96's 'Swingers' see's him as part of a double-act with Vince Vaughn. The whole film is based around this double-act, and the various banter that passes between them - mostly ricocheting from Vaughn's outrageously outlandish interactions with everyone he meets, and Favreau's handling of the ensuing situation.

At times this makes for extremely funny entertainment, at other times however it makes for extermely cringe-inducing entertainment. Your not quite sure whether to love Vaughn's antics, or want him dead. Your also left wondering exactly WHAT Vaughn's character helped Favreau's out with in their younger days in order for Favreau to have such as deeply-routed tolerance and understanding for the man.... personally, I would have gotten rid of him years ago.

The story itself takes a backseat because of Vaughn's antics, which is a shame, cause there's some really juicy material in there. I would have loved to see more development between Favreau and his girlfriend, played by Famke Jansen, and also Jansen's daughter. Peter Falk (yes, 'Columbo') is absolutely brilliant as Max, the ageing boss, fully believable and a fully-realised characterisation.

Overall the film fit's together extremely well - the pace is fast, and you do get caught up in it... even during Vaughn's most cringe-worthy moments. Basically if you like 'Swingers' or general crime-capers, you'll love 'Made'.

Well, let me start by saying that as a fan of Swingers, I had high hopes for this film despite its bad reviews. After watching it however, I simply wonder why God, why? This might be the most annoying film that came out since "lights, camera, action" first came from a directors mouth. Vince, please Vince, tell me you owed Jon a favor. The character (sorry, I have permanently stricten the name from my memory) might make you feel happy that you were having your wisdom teeth pulled, and I am still dumbfounded how the Saprano's cast go suckered into the roles they played....In any case...save your money...save your sanity...save yourself....chose life.