Entourage - Shallow Dudebro Movie With Awkward Celebrity Cameos

[Marter]

Entourage - Shallow Dudebro Movie With Awkward Celebrity Cameos

Entourage is a horrible, horrible movie that thinks throwing celebrity cameos in place of a plot or characters is how to make a good movie.

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[Neurotic Void Melody]

I think it's fairly safe to throw the term "cis male" at this film repeatedly until it retreats to the self obsessed, toss-hole it dribbled out from. But hey, you wouldn't want your job to start feeling too much like fun now, would you?

I heard that hollywood was all pretty sexist, racist, sexist, homophobic and sexist as it is. So this film may be an accurate portrayal of just how soul draining life would be to live and work around those people. Maybe.

 

[Skatologist]

I'm never getting tired of doing that

... make sexist, racist, sexist, homophobic, or sexist comments,...

Oops. Yeah...might want to change that

EDIT: Unless that was all emphasis on how sexist these comments were

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

A word of advice... Don't now watch the show hoping to get some kind of reflexive appreciation or understanding of the film. It really is all that bad.

Is it still better than Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 though?

 

[RJ 17]

Wait...that's a movie? I thought all those pre-video trailers for this were just advertising a new season of the show. >.>

 

[Skatologist]

A word of advice... Don't now watch the show hoping to get some kind of reflexive appreciation or understanding of the film. It really is all that bad.

Is it still better than Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 though?

Marter on twitter said yes...but only just barely

 

[Darth_Payn]

I always though the show was just about douchebags, by douchebags, for douchebags. Marter's review would not disprove that. But I just watched a video in Cracked.com saying the whole show was an elaborate prank on the main cast.

 

[shintakie10]

So its basically more of the show, but in a movie format instead of a 50ish minute episode?

I'm down with that. Entourage is one of my guilty pleasures. The characters are all awful awful people, but all had stupidly redeeming qualities.

Johnny Drama was also the best character that wasn't Ari. He was totally alpha male and clung to the one memorable character he played way back in the day, some Conanesque viking guy who loved to shout "VICTORY!" Watching him try and fail at everything because of his ridiculous ideals of what a man is about was the greatest part of the show.

However the star was always Ari. He's so over the top, so fucked up, that you just couldn't help but love him. Its actually weird how many feminist women and gay men/women who adore the hell out of Ari despite the fact that he says literally the most sexist and homophobic stuff on the show. He had a gay assistant who Ari just reveled in making fun of. Yet interestingly he was also the most well rounded character on the show and had the most interesting story arc, mostly because everyone elses story arc always involved really stupid shit "We're making a movie! We need money to make the movie! We need to make this other movie first to make another movie!"

Yeah it made sense in context of the show, but it got old fast. Luckily everyone was just such a perfect douchebag and they failed constantly that I couldn't help but love watching them get slapped down.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

I always though the show was just about douchebags, by douchebags, for douchebags. Marter's review would not disprove that. But I just watched a video in Cracked.com saying the whole show was an elaborate prank on the main cast.

Trusting Cracked's "Today's Topic Is A Really Poorly Thought Out Conspiracy Theory About Pop Culture That Mostly Shows We Don't Know A Lot About The Media In Question" is not a good choice.

 

[Ralancian]

However the star was always Ari. He's so over the top, so fucked up, that you just couldn't help but love him. Its actually weird how many feminist women and gay men/women who adore the hell out of Ari despite the fact that he says literally the most sexist and homophobic stuff on the show. He had a gay assistant who Ari just reveled in making fun of. Yet interestingly he was also the most well rounded character on the show and had the most interesting story arc, mostly because everyone elses story arc always involved really stupid shit "We're making a movie! We need money to make the movie! We need to make this other movie first to make another movie!"

Ari is pretty interesting character in his own right. Mainly because whilst he sucks as a human being he is hopelessly devoted to his wife. Also whilst he says most of the sexist/homophobic stuff on the show he is actually neither sounds odds but those who've watched the show will understand.

I like Entourage at the end of the day it's just suppose to be fun and I don't think it glorifies the 'dudebro' culture just being entertaining I fail to see the hate for it.

 

[Darth_Payn]

I always though the show was just about douchebags, by douchebags, for douchebags. Marter's review would not disprove that. But I just watched a video in Cracked.com saying the whole show was an elaborate prank on the main cast.

Trusting Cracked's "Today's Topic Is A Really Poorly Thought Out Conspiracy Theory About Pop Culture That Mostly Shows We Don't Know A Lot About The Media In Question" is not a good choice.

I didn't say they were right, I said it was an alternate theory about the show, which was pretty clever and funny.
Much more than this movie, by the sounds of it.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I actually liked Entourage the show, at least at the beginning. The first few seasons were a guilty pleasure and a lot of fun, but then the show just started to go sideways. Almost every episode was "Oh no, Vince's career is over!! Oh wait, he's got it back!". Seriously, most Hollywood actors have 1, MAYBE 2 comebacks in their entire careers, Vince seemed to have one every month.

Drama's antics just got dumber and dumber as the show went on, to the point where it was impossible to see him as a person and instead he was just a plot device to do dumb stuff for laughs. Turtle's romance with Jamie-Lynn Sigler was so misplaced and ridiculous, and E continued to be whiny and annoying (that part stayed basically the same the whole show).

Really, the stars of the entire series were always Ari and Lloyd, his flamboyantly gay assistant (why those two didn't get a spin-off show is beyond me).

It's also interesting to think a little more in depth about the show. On the surface, the show seems to be an adolescent male fantasy: these guys live with their insanely rich actor friend, they don't have to work, they buy whatever they want, go to exclusive parties, and sleep with beautiful women. But the more you think about it, the more you realize they are basically all losers. If they weren't rich/didn't know Vince, none of these women would even talk to them, they'd all still be living in NYC and probably not doing so well (it's not like any of them are particularly bright or motivated). In other words, their fantasy lives only exist due to sheer dumb luck.

 

[shintakie10]

However the star was always Ari. He's so over the top, so fucked up, that you just couldn't help but love him. Its actually weird how many feminist women and gay men/women who adore the hell out of Ari despite the fact that he says literally the most sexist and homophobic stuff on the show. He had a gay assistant who Ari just reveled in making fun of. Yet interestingly he was also the most well rounded character on the show and had the most interesting story arc, mostly because everyone elses story arc always involved really stupid shit "We're making a movie! We need money to make the movie! We need to make this other movie first to make another movie!"

Ari is pretty interesting character in his own right. Mainly because whilst he sucks as a human being he is hopelessly devoted to his wife. Also whilst he says most of the sexist/homophobic stuff on the show he is actually neither sounds odds but those who've watched the show will understand.

I like Entourage at the end of the day it's just suppose to be fun and I don't think it glorifies the 'dudebro' culture just being entertaining I fail to see the hate for it.

Oh absolutely Ari is a great character. I still think one of my favorite moments was when Vince got blacklisted because he wouldn't do Aquaman 2 because he didn't want to compromise his work as an actor (I literally could not say that without laughing). The entire blacklist was from the head of one studio and Ari is arguing with the guy on the golf course. Guy has a heart attack and dies. Ari realizes this is his opportunity to get Vince back into movies and is literally disgusted with himself for thinking of that to the point he freaks out at...someone...when they suggest that now Vince can get movies again. Its the truth, Ari knows its the truth and he will exploit it, but he's not half the dick he pretends to be so he waits.

I actually liked Entourage the show, at least at the beginning. The first few seasons were a guilty pleasure and a lot of fun, but then the show just started to go sideways. Almost every episode was "Oh no, Vince's career is over!! Oh wait, he's got it back!". Seriously, most Hollywood actors have 1, MAYBE 2 comebacks in their entire careers, Vince seemed to have one every month.

Drama's antics just got dumber and dumber as the show went on, to the point where it was impossible to see him as a person and instead he was just a plot device to do dumb stuff for laughs. Turtle's romance with Jamie-Lynn Sigler was so misplaced and ridiculous, and E continued to be whiny and annoying (that part stayed basically the same the whole show).

Really, the stars of the entire series were always Ari and Lloyd, his flamboyantly gay assistant (why those two didn't get a spin-off show is beyond me).

It's also interesting to think a little more in depth about the show. On the surface, the show seems to be an adolescent male fantasy: these guys live with their insanely rich actor friend, they don't have to work, they buy whatever they want, go to exclusive parties, and sleep with beautiful women. But the more you think about it, the more you realize they are basically all losers. If they weren't rich/didn't know Vince, none of these women would even talk to them, they'd all still be living in NYC and probably not doing so well (it's not like any of them are particularly bright or motivated). In other words, their fantasy lives only exist due to sheer dumb luck.

Thinking back, you're probably right about Johnny Drama just being a plot device for laughs, but god is he a funny plot device for laughs. When he damn near pees his pants because he's too alpha male to chicken out when Chuck freakin Lidell challenges him to a fight? That was gold. Pure fuckin gold.

I remember thinking how confusing it was that Mike seemed to be the watchers character because the guy was a fuckin tool. He was smart, generally, and was the only one willing to say when something was complete shit, but he never grew as a character. There were glimpses where he could possibly grow, but the show was adamant that the group had to stay together no matter the cost so any outs that he had to become somethin more than what he was were stifled.

Turtle was just fuckin annoyin though. He was the most incompetent member of the group and had literally nothing going for him. Mike was at least smart enough to be Vinces manager. Johnny Drama was Vince's brother, but he was also still an actor (albeit a bad one), and Vince was Vince. Turtles main story arcs involved making a terribly failed Tequila business and...uhhh...getting beat by some 8 year old in a fight night tournament? They even made fun of the fact that Turtle didn't do anything, but never went farther than "So...what do you actually do around here Turtle?"

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Turtle was just fuckin annoyin though. He was the most incompetent member of the group and had literally nothing going for him. Mike was at least smart enough to be Vinces manager. Johnny Drama was Vince's brother, but he was also still an actor (albeit a bad one), and Vince was Vince. Turtles main story arcs involved making a terribly failed Tequila business and...uhhh...getting beat by some 8 year old in a fight night tournament? They even made fun of the fact that Turtle didn't do anything, but never went farther than "So...what do you actually do around here Turtle?"

In an interview with Trey Parker and Matt Stone (the South Park guys) they described Cartman as "that annoying fat kid who always hung around with you and your friends, and no one really liked him, but for some reason he was just kind of always there". Turtle is that fat kid.

 

[Marter]

EDIT: Unless that was all emphasis on how sexist these comments were

It was, indeed, this. ;D

 

[Citizen Graves]

Really, the stars of the entire series were always Ari and Lloyd, his flamboyantly gay assistant (why those two didn't get a spin-off show is beyond me).

That would be fantastic! I imagine it could be called "The Gold Standard" (or whatever) and would have consisted of the best parts of Entourage (Ari Gold, Lloyd, celebrity cameos, Hollywood satire, etc.) without all of the bad parts (i.e. the entire main cast).


Jeremy Piven was pretty much the reason I watched this show in it's entirety and also what drew me to watch Lucky Number Slevin. Why isn't this guy in more things?

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Really, the stars of the entire series were always Ari and Lloyd, his flamboyantly gay assistant (why those two didn't get a spin-off show is beyond me).

That would be fantastic! I imagine it could be called "The Gold Standard" (or whatever) and would have consisted of the best parts of Entourage (Ari Gold, Lloyd, celebrity cameos, Hollywood satire, etc.) without all of the bad parts (i.e. the entire main cast).


Jeremy Piven was pretty much the reason I watched this show in it's entirety and also what drew me to watch Lucky Number Slevin. Why isn't this guy in more things?

If you haven't seen it, go watch "The Goods", it's basically Jeremy Piven being Ari Gold some more. Runs out of steam towards the end but I still found it really funny.

 

[jammer170]

So, we have a reviewer, completely unfamiliar with the show upon which the movie is based, reviewing the movie? C'mon, that's like halfway to Polygon's Rock Band review. I mean, the episodes are thirty minutes long each, and the seasons are like half of your standard television seasons. Couldn't you have watched at least a few episodes to figure out what was going on? As someone who watched the entire series during it's initial run, I think I can give a different (hopefully useful) view of the movie to fans of the series.

The movie opens with the boys from Queens meeting up just nine days after Vincent's (Adrian Grenier) marriage to console him on its dissolution. Vince is doing surprisingly well, and looking for his next challenge, which involves both acting and directing his next movie, surprising Ari (Jeremy Piven), his former agent in the midst of returning to LA to take over for John Ellis as chairman and CEO of Time Warner. The movie largely mirrors a standard season from the TV series, dealing with the behind-the-seasons issues of making a major motion picture. In this case, it is securing extra funds so Vince can finish his directorial debut from Larsen (Billy Bob Thorton) and his son, Travis (Haley Joel Osment). Meanwhile, Vince's manager Eric (Kevin Connolly) is preparing for the birth of his child with his former girlfriend Sloane (Emmanuelle Chriqui). Vince's brother Drama (Kevin Dillon) is once again struggling with another failed attempt at making it in Hollywood, and last but certainly not least is Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) dealing with the unexpected windfall from the success of his tequila company.

The story plays out like a long episode of the show, which is both good and bad. The normal seasonal plot of dealing with problems in Hollywood plays out rather rushed and has a sudden ending, most likely a result of the compressed time span of a movie versus an entire season. Even with this issue, there are still plenty of spots for Jeremy Piven to shine. Luckily, the main cast has plenty of time to play off of one another. There are plenty of references to various elements from the series, great one-off laughs, many returning cameos, and it definitely feels like settling in with some old friends. Plenty of new celebrities make appearances. Turtle attempts to land Ronda Rousey, playing herself. While she isn't given much to do, acting does seem to be a bit outside her forte, and the one time she is required to show emotion, she doesn't really manage it. Meanwhile, Vince meets up with Emily Ratajkowski, who is given even less to do than Rousey.

One thing is certain: this is not a film for newcomers to the series. While there is a passing attempt at establishing the backstory, it goes by so fast is probably more interesting for those who already watch the show than those who haven't, and doesn't even touch on many of the things that are necessary to fully appreciate the movie. That isn't really too much a problem for fans, and let's face it, Entourage was never too deep to begin with, but newcomers would easily assume that many of the recurring characters and traits from the series are just random events in the movie. It is also a movie made by guys for guys, and it is unapologetic in doing so (bikinis - and several times just the bottoms - seem to be the staple wardrobe for many of the female extras in the movie). If you happen to have issues with that, I'd highly suggest steering clear.

To sum up, if you are a fan of the series, you will enjoy the film. It isn't a great film, but it is a solid attempt at transferring the TV show to the big screen. If the director (Doug Ellin) had any guarantee of future films, he could have set up a better "insider Hollywood" plot for the cast to deal with across multiple movies, fixing the main issue with the story. Entourage still manages to bring joy with Ari still being Ari and the interaction between the five main characters. I would give it three out of five stars.

 

[StatusNil]

I watched the show on and off for Ari and Johnny Drama, the rest of the main cast were simply unlikable. Ari Gold is of course based on real life agent Ari Emanuel, brother of Rahm (who famously sent a dead fish to some pollster who pissed him off). Assuming there's some stylistic family resemblance between the brothers, it may not just be the fictional character who's a little over the top. And Johnny is weirdly compelling in how obviously vulnerable he is in his shell of machismo. Just look at the hurt in the guy's eyes. But I guess that's the kind of stuff you miss keeping a sexist score for everyone.

Still, can't really picture the show having the makings of a good movie.