Made (UK)

In "Swingers" (1996), John Favreau and Vince Vaughn were Mike Peters and Trent Walker, a pair of wannabe actors who wound up as bumbling hipster doofuses in the LA lounge scene. Five years later in "Made", Favreau and Vaughn reunite, this time as Bobby and Ricky, a pair of wannabe boxers who wind up as bumbling mob heavies in the NY organized crime scene. Made isn`t exactly a sequel to "Swingers" (director Doug Liman is gone, for one thing), but it bears favorable comparisons.

The dialogue is fresh and on the money; at times you`d think Favreau and Vaughn were improvising, it`s so breezy and natural. The boys argue constantly, and this is the primary charm of "Made." "Swingers" was more contrived, more eclectic in its way, but in "Made" the characters really hit home. Ricky is an obnoxious know-it-all (or so he thinks) for sure, but so entertainingly so that the picture runneth over every time he`s on screen. Favreau`s Bobby is more down to earth, the solid, dependable buddy you can count on, but he has his own problems too (like having a stripper for a girlfriend, for instance). In and among Ricky`s dumb and dumber shenanigans, however, Bobby also shines. His relationship with Chloe is especially touching — kudos to Favreau for writing two convincing characters, Bobby and Ricky, who are also poles apart.


"Made" is a deadpan crime comedy in which the rapport between John Favreau and Vince Vaughn (and how, especially, they understand each other as actors) makes for a winning combination.