Entourage (2015)

Full disclosure I have never seen a single episode of HBO’s Entourage. Going into this Doug Ellin directed feature blind is probably the best thing I could have ever done for myself. Entourage centers on an A-lister Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his four friends Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon) and how they are continuing to build their own lives as well as ride on the coat tails of Chase’s celebrity.

I don’t even know where to begin with this film. Every moment feels like a collage of ideas to keep the pace of the film moving at a frantic sprint and somehow watching this chaos of Chase trying to get his directorial debut off the ground is wildly entertaining. Each of the three friends has their own tiny arc where they have an issue or conflict to surpass. Turtle wants to date MMA star Rhonda Rousey after becoming a success at creating his own business. Kevin is dealing with impending parenthood while attempting to keep Chase’s career on track. Lastly, Johnny Drama wants to be considered a serious actor by Hollywood and step out of his brother’s shadow. Shockingly, all of these stories make cohesive sense and are surprisingly compelling. I didn’t expect to like the characters shown to me but everything that occurs with them makes viable sense. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a serious highlight of the film and that is the character of Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) studio head. The big thing I can say about Gold is that while he has his moments of calm the true best bits of his film come from his random violent outbursts as things with Chase’s film go awry. It’s a very physical part and I can imagine no one pulling it off better than what Piven portrays here.

Entourage has always been sold as the masculine version of Sex and the City. This comparison is both apt and poor at the same time. The film does have an incredibly strong sense of brotherhood and watching these men navigate adulthood but the film also asks a big question that Sex and the City doesn’t which is how do you make a success of yourself and make your mark on the world? The film chooses not to answer this question directly and instead tells audiences its not about whether we make it in life but what we learn on the journey while partying, having sex with women, and going through as many life changes as possible. The film is superb at telling us about the characters rather making the film one big story that all four characters have to navigate at once. This was a smart move by Ellin but it also flashes a shinning light of the film’s biggest error.

The biggest problem with this film is that there never seem to be any real consequences for the characters when they screw up. One such example of the lack of consequences involves the fact that Vincent Chase ends up insulting a financial backer’s son by flirting with a woman the son was deeply attracted to. Vince spends the entire movie basically blowing this character off with the threat of the movie not being made a constant threat but an empty one. Chase is never at risk of losing anything he has built for himself and for me as funny as the film is that weakens what was and still is a very strong comedy which functions as a sly life social commentary.

One of many great things about infusing a film with social commentary is that it allows audiences to ask questions about themes of a film and in some cases its characters. Entourage is a story about how brotherhood and friendship can outlast any one individuals success. I love this idea that these friends can find ways of advising and supporting each other but for this comedy to really hit that brotherhood home an point of true vulnerability from these fictional people that audiences love would have granted this film instant classic status. As it is though, Entourage is just a funny comedy about friends many people have had. For me, that is just enough for it to be a mildly enjoyable time at the movies until something unique surprises me this summer.