Monday, June 15, 2015

Entourage the movie – A bromance comedy but not as great as the show

Entourage, the award winning HBO TV series, was well received largely due to its comedic story narrative, special cameo appearances of contemporary stars, coupled with the notion of camaraderie that revolved around brotherhood and loyalty, between a close-knit circle of friends.

Entourage, the movie, directed by Doug Ellin, delves further into this camaraderie.

The movie revolves around Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his posse. His loud-mouthed super-agent-cum-friend, Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) who now heads a movie studio, is eyeing a movie project which will showcase Vincent’s directing prowess.

Will this particular venture be a hit or a miss?

That is quintessentially the plot of the movie.

Photo: IMDb

This movie is, in many aspects, an extension of the show, which is a good thing. It feels like an hour-and-44-minutes episode, but at times it tends to drag a little and makes the audience question the lack of novelty in the movie.

Memorable characters who left a lasting impression during the show have returned and various new characters have been woven into the story of this film. Yet again, Ari Gold steals the show, largely due to his obnoxious, hyper, obsessive-compulsive, and foul mouthed portrayal of Tinsel Town’s power agent, which we all came to admire and love in the show.

Photo: IMDb

Speaking of the supporting cast, this time around the other cast members, like old times, are busy blazing their own path to success, trying to create their own niche so that they are not reduced to being called Vincent’s crew or live off his money and fame.

Eric also known as E (Kevin Connolly) is surrounded by domestic post-matrimonial woes and women-related complications, Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) is busy striking a business partnership with none other than the real life billionaire Mark Cuban, Vincent’s elder brother (Kevin Dillon) is still struggling to earn a place for himself in the acting world by trying to land a prominent role that will allow him to stop living under his brother’s shadow and be his own man.

Photo: IMDb

For those who didn’t follow the show, there’s no need to worry about the backstory. Thankfully an entertaining mini-documentary, narrated by none other than Piers Morgan at the start of the movie, fills the void one may have in context to the movie.

Additionally, Liam Neeson, known for his performance in TakenGeorge Takei and Mark Wahlberg also make cameo appearances. UFC martial art champion Ronda Rousey, who in the past has been featured in big budget movies such as Expendables 3 and Furious 7has  a prominent role. Turtle and Ronda’s satirical retorts throughout the movie make it an enjoyable watch.

Photo: IMDb

On the whole, Entourage, the movie is an entertaining ride, but at times it feels like binge-watching a season of the show in one-go. It tries hard to stand on its own capacity as a stand-alone feature film and seems like it can’t come out of the shadow of the TV show.

It should suffice as an entertaining one-time watch. For the non-entourage fans, it serves as a bromance comedy, and an absolute must watch for the die-hard followers of the franchise. For all its quirkiness, eccentricity, demonstrating Hollywood excess and celebrating Hollywood’s star-studded induced tantrums, it comes off as a somewhat tongue-in-cheek and satirical spin on Hollywood’s real life stars, directors and producers; a sort of real life behind the scenes.

Photo: IMDb

The movie may just push the audience to watch the HBO TV series, which I feel is highly entertaining and worth watching.

I would rate it a 7/10.


from The Express Tribune Blog http://ift.tt/1fdiGrV

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