Starring: Jeremy Piven, Kevin Connolly, Adrien Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Billy Bob Thornton, and Ronda Rousey
Entertainment Weekly Radio held a town hall with the Entourage cast on SiriusXm. During the broadcast, the cast was asked why they decided to turn their hit HBO series into a movie. One of the cast members responded that once they saw how much money the Sex and the City movie made, the Entourage crew decided they could make that kind of money as well. Hollywood is big business. However, when the quest for money and not creativity drives a film, it shows. Director Doug Ellin and the producers behind Entourage failed to consider whether there was a story still left to tell. Vince and the crew are old, tired and out of tales. Aside from a nearly unrecognizable Haley Joel Osment, the film does not bring anything new to the table.
Vincent Chase (Adrien Grenier) is an A-list actor who has reached the pinnacle of success. He was discovered after super-agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) spotted him in a Mentos commercial. Vince surrounds himself with his best friends. Eric (Kevin Connolly), his closest friend, works as his manager and a producer. Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon), Vince’s older brother, is also an actor, but less successful; and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) still drives Vince around even though he has his own successful tequila company.
As the film opens, Vince is on a yacht in Ibiza, Spain, celebrating the end of a sixteen day marriage when he decides that he wants to direct the next film he stars in. Ari, now the head of a major studio, reluctantly agrees to allow Vince to direct a big budget film called Hyde. Many insiders question Ari’s decision because it is generally a bad idea to trust a first time director with a $100 million budget. When Hyde is nearly complete, Vince asks for more money because the film is over budget. Ari is forced to go to Texas to beg the film’s backer Larsen McCredle (Billy Bob Thornton) for more money to finish the film. McCredle is willing to invest more money, but only after his slimy son Travis (Haley Joel Osment) signs off on the film. Hollywood shenanigans ensue.
I watched the television show Entourage. It was loosely based on Mark Wahlberg and his friends. The show was over the top, flamboyant, humorous, offensive and ridiculous all at once. Jeremy Piven stole every scene as Vince’s ruthless, brutally sarcastic agent. It was a light-hearted look at Hollywood excess. At its core, however, the show was about the bromance between four buddies. Unfortunately, this camaraderie does not translate well onto the big screen.
There are a few funny moments in the film and some sharp dialogue. However, if you watch this movie without having viewed the television show, you will undoubtedly think, “Who are these douchebags and why should I care about them?” That is the ultimate failure of the film. Doug Ellin is so focused on celebrity cameos, yachts, scantily clad women and real estate porn that he fails to make the guys likeable or fun to watch. Vince and company are entertaining in short, thirty minute episodes. However, on film, the paper thin plot drags and the characters come across as simply obnoxious. In addition, the fellows have aged since the show went off of the air in 2011. Thus, watching a middle-aged Eric sleep with various women is less convincing and not entertaining. Even Jeremy Piven and Kevin Dillon cannot save this film.
Entourage earns a wasted rating. Even the most loyal of fans will need a shot or two of Turtle’s tequila to actually enjoy this film.
