'Entourage'

In cinemas June 3rd in the USA and June 19th in the UK!

In 2011, with the aptly titled 'The End', HBO and a horde of dedicated fans waved goodbye to Vincent Chase and his titular 'Entourage' as they flew off into the sunsets of Paris and Italy, and towards their own personal happy and professionally successful endings...
...In 2015, movie-star Vincent Chase, and his titular 'Entourage' are back - and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold on a risky project that will serve as Vince's directorial debut.

All the way back in 2004, creator Doug Ellin, wasted no time in sweeping the audience into his fantastical Hollywood world. Over a decade later, he wastes even less, dropping immediately in on a yacht party where the music is blaring, the alcohol is flowing, and the deck is teeming from port to starboard with an endless and nameless parade of strictly female beauties, all in various states of undress. The tone is set with a speed that the makers of the characters' luxurious cars would no doubt be envious of.

Many other aspects of the film follow suit, with the writing sharply cutting a swathe through the various developments and cliffhangers left from the show. Though years have passed in the real world, less than a week has gone by in the paradise that these characters inhabit - a fact frequently emphasised by a running gag revolving around one character's mysterious weight-loss and newly athletic physique. No doubt, it is a sign of an eagerness to steer the characters back to their previous status quo, and headlong into the next chapter of their individual and collective lives. And what lives they are.

The deeper the audience follows the quintet into their world, the further it becomes apparent that the yacht party was only the tip of the iceberg. This is a world of excess and prestige. A world of big houses, sports-cars, and unlimited wealth and sex. A world where a cinema can be erected on the beach in a matter of hours for a screening party, helicopters are readily available in order to interrupt meetings across town, and Piers Morgan narrates your previous exploits in a handy montage of cliff-notes to bring the uninitiated up to speed.

Therein lies the greatest of the film's issues. Though this is very much a fictionalised account of Hollywood and its blessed inhabitants, it is constantly at odds with the pseudo-documentary-style aesthetic it has chosen to adopt. It is almost as much a fantasy land as the likes of Middle-Earth and Westeros, but with less orcs and dragons and more opportunities for a former pizza-chef and simple driver to become millionaires. Yet, it is also has foundations that ground it firmly in reality. Though it affords the crew opportunity to utilise some truly stunning camera-angles and luscious views, it's a juxtaposition that fails to click.

The jokes and humourous situations come thick and fast, but unfortunately they fail to land as frequently or strongly as was probably hoped and intended. On some occasions, a knowledge of the show would probably help, adding context to the moments and dialogue. But other times, and over all, it feels inorganic and suffers from a mentality that feels at least a decade out of date. As though the writer is clinging to a by-gone era and that the majority of scenes are inserted for the sake of comedy, rather than the comedy emerging naturally from the various, supposed arcs. The same can also be said for brief attempts at more dramatic and poignant moments, shoe-horned in to create a faux-redemptive sense of brotherhood, and lacking from any substantial build-up. Although, one such recurring story does serve to give supporting cast-member, Rex Lee, some great and hilarious moments. As well as leads to, without a doubt, the funniest and most organic of their trademark celebrity cameos.

The acting is mostly solid throughout - with Jeremy Piven and Kevin Dillon being the highlights. Both serving to help the writing hit their targets on the comical front, especially when it comes to their respective experiences with therapy, as well as blessing the characters of Ari Gold and Johnny Drama respectively with more of a feeling of sincerity, nuance and pathos. Adrian Grenier adds believability to Vincent Chase as a movie-star around which everybody orbits and to whom attractive models flock. But, as is always the case in these types of comedies, the main character always serves to pale in comparison to slightly crazier and more unpredictable co-stars and characters.

Had the writers adopted more of under-dog approach beyond Dillion's character and his desire to be taken seriously, there might have been more to root for and this might have been a very different review. But, with every set-back erased before it has a chance to truly become an obstacle and, subsequently, a distinct lack of tension, what the audience is left with is the journey of rich people getting richer and successful people becoming even more successful.

The aforementioned horde of dedicated fans will surely enjoy getting another opportunity to hangout with - and live vicariously through - their favourite collection of Hollywood bros. But for everyone else their enjoyment will depend on their level of passion for celebrity culture, constant celebrity cameos, and seeing the kid from Sixth Sense in a way you never could have imagined...

Review by Jay Thomas.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.

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