Entourage (2015)
Certified: 15
Duration: 104 minutes
Directed by: Doug Ellin
Starring: Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven, Perrey Reeves, Rex Lee, Debi Mazar, Constance Zimmer, Billy Bob Thornton, Haley Joel Osment, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Scott Mescudi, Martin Landau
KRS Releasing Ltd
Entourage takes us behind the scenes, glitz and glamour of Hollywood. This is the film follow-up to the HBO series that ran for eight seasons and took the audience on a trip where Hollywood in all its sins and glory was given a new pasting. The series had been executive-produced by Mark Wahlberg who also has a cameo appearance in this movie and produced this feature.
The original series had been loosely based on Walhberg’s initial Hollywood experiences. This is not the satirical take on Tinsel Town of Robert Altman’s The Player (1992) or the clinical dissection of David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars (2014).
This is a lightweight comedy drama that works on the basis of its charms and flamboyance.
Adrian Gernier is Vince Chase, who is now a top Hollywood star and has just been through a divorce. He wants to have his career propelled even further and this comes into play when his former agent, Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), becomes the top man at one of the film studios. This leads to Vince being engaged not only to act but also to direct a movie. Eyeing the money, Ari brings in Texan Larsen McCredle (Billy Bob Thornton) and his unhinged son Travis (Haley Joel Osment) to finance the project.
Like the series, Entourage is imbued with a roguish charm that makes it a sort of modern urban fantasy for guys
Vince gets the old gang, his entourage, to help him out: his older brother Johnny ‘Drama’ (Kevin Dillon), who had tried before Chase to be a successful actor but ended up as a bit part actor; his childhood friend Eric (Kevin Connolly), who is also his manager and producer; and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara), another old-time friend who serves as Chase’s driver and all-round enabler.
In the ensuing chaos of setting up a $100-million budget movie, comes Travis who is sent by his daddy to check what is happening.
Things become complicated when Travis becomes attracted to Emily Ratajkowski (playing herself), a Sports Illustrated model. The problem is that Emily has the hots for Chase. This leads to reshoots and editing, while Ari also has an issue with the fact that he has made a promise not to get stressed.
Like the series, Entourage is imbued with a roguish charm that makes it a sort of modern urban fantasy for guys, a male version of Sex and The City.
This is a tale of Hollywood, babes, money and boys.
Osment, one of the new faces in the cast, all grown up from The Sixth Sense (1992), makes quite an impression. Piven delivers with all guns blazing a strong and hilarious performance as the freaked-out Ari.
Overall, the material translates well in the transition to the silver screen. Director Doug Ellin does not try to reinvent the cinematic wheel as he keeps strongly to what had worked and keep things moving in similar light mode.
The film comes complete with its signature style and glitzy sense of fashion and cool.
Through all this, what shines through is also that as a group, these friends have a friendship that seems to have somehow or other endured throughout all the women, success and power trips, a task which in Hollywood can be a bit of harder fantasy to be true.