Swingers [DVD]

I enjoy this quirky movie quite a bit, and get more out of it with each subsequent viewing. Okay, so it's got Vince Vaughn playing yet another semi-obnoxious lothario. It's got a displaced New Yorker who is -- SURPRISE! -- neurotic and whiny, something we've only ever seen in almost every single Woody Allen film (amongst others). It's got the Token Cool African-American Friend Who Doesn't Have That Many Lines. Yet at the same time, this was actually Vince's FIRST semi-obnoxious lothario role (which no doubt set him up for being cast in further such roles), and his character does redeem himself by being sincerely concerned about his friends, going above and beyond the call of duty to help them. The Neurotic Displaced New Yorker actually grows as a person with the help of his friends, and becomes balanced and likeable. And the Token Cool African-American Friend STAYS cool throughout the film without any over-the-top comedic cracking of the veneer during stressful moments.The music is excellent, especially if you're into Swing, Big Band, and Jazz. I think it was the music (and the attendant anachronistic zoot suits) that caught my fancy on the first time through, and the plot and characters kinda grew on me in subsequent viewings. The excessive use of pseudo-hipster slang either enchants you or grates on your nerves; it's not a take-it-or-leave-it part of the film. Personally, if I hear anyone using "money" as an adjective ever again, my first response will be physical violence. And that's the ONLY reason I haven't given this film full marks. But it IS a fairly big reason for me.Still, this is one of those films where the popularity and fan base started out slow and small but grew to cult status with exponential speed. Like most cult films, it's realistic(ish) and a Thought-Provoking and Irreverent Commentary on Aspects of Modern Society, but it's nowhere near as "gritty" as most cult films. In other words, it's in colour, it doesn't have a depressing ending, and there are no supremely wise taxi drivers dispensing zen-like wisdom. Also, not a lot really happens in the film, but it plays so much like the better kind of fly-on-the-wall Reality TV show that it's easy to get sucked into the (admittedly thin and rambling but engaging) plot. It's got loads of homages to other popular films, TV shows, and whatnot. It's very well-written, very well-acted by all involved, it looks really good, and (apart from hearing "money" and/or "baby" every 20 seconds) it sounds really, REALLY good. "Swingers" is one of those small, independent films which far outclasses most of the big-budget blockbusters, and launched a LOT of promising and successful careers. The behind-the-scenes documentaries are good for watching through ONCE, to get the stories behind the making of the film, but are so full of self-congratulatory back-slapping and gag-reflex-inducing mutual appreciation that you probably won't want to watch them ever again. The "Swing Blade" short film included in the bonus features, however, I could watch again and again and again until my eyeballs shrivel; it's hilarious!However much fans of this movie rave about it (and I count myself as one of those), "Swingers" admittedly isn't going to be to everyone's taste. I would recommend renting it first to see if it's your kind of film, and if it is, THEN buy it. It's an exceptionally good kick-back-and-relax film to watch while downing a few cocktails, either alone or with your friends.

Swingers is a funny and good-natured comedy which follows a group of young wannabe actors and entertainers as they hang out in Los Angeles with dreams of making it big in Hollywood. The film centres around unemployed stand-up comedian Mike (Jon Favreau) and his attempts to get over the recent break-up of a long-term relationship in pursuit of his dream.As he haunts the endless parties amid the glittering nightlife of LA and Las Vegas, Mike is joined by his good friend Trent (a film-stealing Vince Vaughn) who resorts to increasingly loud and hilarious attempts to cheer Mike up and help him move on with his life.All of the actors and even the writer/director Doug Liman were just starting out in their careers with real-life hopes of making a mark in the entertainment industry, and it's that fresh sense of authenticity, which makes Swingers a charming if undemanding comedy gem.

Swingers is about five guys who are dealing with single life in various different ways, all sharing experiences as they go from one L.A. bar to the next.That's about it. We follow their lives. A lot of people have criticised the film for having no plot. And they're right, it doesn't really. But does it matter? Only if you're really only interested in films with tight and deep plots. If you like your comedy a little on the adult side (and perhaps this film will appeal to guys over girls), plus are happy to follow these people and simply go along with the ride, you should get something out of this.It's kind of like a gangster film, but without the violence and crime. You have many long `talkie' scenes, set around various bar tables in dingy clubs, while the protagonists sit back and discuss film trivia. This hardly drives the narrative forward, but, if you're into character pieces (and film trivia!) you should find it amusing.

Clever sex comedy about White male-bonding around fast food, violent sports and sex. The characters are vivid and vividly-played by a spirited-but-uneven cast and the loneliness that pervades these guys' lives is easy to identify with until you realize that their fear-of-intimacy is a form self-induced immaturity.As we watch we wonder when they will ever grow up and much of the humor here comes from their repeated inability to judge others other than by appearance and to assume that tricks & games are the only way to get women into bed because women are infantile.Like Roger Dodger the emptiness of the life on show here is well presented. The essential challenge for the characters here is the need to make their universal theory of life fit reality rather than make reality fit their individualist theory of life. Yet, despite all of this, the regular whining about a world that only sometimes fits their sexual wish-fulfillment fantasies never gets in the way of the personal-is-political satire on closet homosexuality.

I discovered this movies many years ago, when it was released on VHS in the Sates. It arrived to Italy years later, and it was already a classic to me. Over the years, Doug Liman lost his touch, but here you can see a young filmaker and a couple of future Hollywood stars as fresh as they will hardly be since then. Swingers is not just the story of some young fellows who want to make it in move business, it's the story of those 3 people who made a low budget movie and made it because of it. It's free cinema, not just independent, but free as you can breathe freedom and lazyiness and easy living in L.A. when you are young and all you want to do is hanging around, living day by day and even more night by night. It's miraculously makes you live and feel that atmosphere and that approach to life. In a funny, easy going way