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Monday, July 21, 2008
Swingers is a film very few people would think of making. The title would scare a lot of people off because they assume it’s about overly promiscuous couples; when in fact Swingers is about a group single guys who idolize the Rat Pack and are trying to make it in Hollywood.
In essence Swingers is a period piece even though it was filmed during the era that it takes place in. Swingers is set in a very specific portion of the 1990’s, the few years where the club culture went retro and swing music and dancing exploded into the mainstream; this was the 1990’s, but it is a very specific set of people and culture. When this film came out it was one of the original indy bombs that exploded onto the market and made people take notice of a different kind of filmmaking from the main stream. This film gave us Jon Favreau, Ron Livingston, Vince Vaughn, Heather Graham and Doug Liman.
At its core Swingers is the simple story of Mike, who has moved from Hollywood to take his comedy career to the next level and can’t get over the girl he left behind. This girl infects his whole life and for six months his friends have been trying to pull him out of it. His best friends are trying to make it in the business to; Trent is the ladies man who does not appreciate the moderate success he is having, Sue is another struggling actor who backs up Trent and his rules on women, and Rob is new to Hollywood from the east coast, and is pissed that he went from playing Shakespeare off Broadway to getting auditions for children’s entertainment. Mike is being pushed by his friends to forget the girl he left behind, and find a new “baby” or two to change his outlook.
This film is a delightful romp into the single male psyche. It sizzles with wit, humor and heart. These characters a people that are utterly real, and if you didn’t know they were fictional you would expect to run into them on the city streets of Hollywood.
Swingers is a testament to what a passion for filmmaking, and a specific project can do to all those involved.
Director: Doug Liman
Writer: Jon Favreau
Mike: Jon Favreau
Trent: Vince Vaughn
Rob: Ron Livingston
Sue: Patrick Van Horn
Lorraine: Heather Graham
Trent: I don't want you to be the guy in the PG-13 movie everyone's really hoping makes it happen. I want you to be like the guy in the rated R movie, you know, the guy you're not sure whether or not you like yet. You're not sure where he's coming from. Okay? You're a bad man. You're a bad man, Mikey. You're a bad man, bad man.
