SWINGERS ***1/2 OF **** grade is B+
Swingers is a very funny film that offers observations of the club scene in LA, and how hard it is to break through in "The Business." We get observant glances at LA trends ("Why aren't there any signs outside the clubs") as we follow a group of actors through episodic frequently hilarious situations as they try to score sex with a "beautiful baby" and wait for return calls that don't arrive.
The main character is Mike (Jon Favreau, also the writer) who dreams of becoming a stand up comedian/actor. All his friends also have dreams of becoming actors and mostly fail. Trent (Vince Vaughn) takes Mike under his wing to help him get over his previous relationship. Mike is really pretty pathetic, he seems to have really been in love with his ex-girlfriend (who stayed in New York when he came to LA) and even spoils attempts at other girls because his negativity is weighing down his approach.
The dialogue is often funny, and more than a tip of the hat to Quentin Tarantino's wonderful words. In fact Tarantino seems to have an influence on more than a few scenes. They sit and discuss his wonderful works and note that "everybody steals from everybody" right before a clever homage of Reservoir Dogs and Goodfellas. Both of those offer big laughs.
The only complaint I have with the film is that it's slight. No big messages are offers or attempted. Even the final scene where Mike is explaining an unorthodoxed decision he made is cut off with a gag. I don't mind this much, I don't want many films to preach to me truths that have already been discussed to the point of making them cliches. I would have preferred if Swingers had contained more meat on it's bones, and finally that is just a testament to the films strong writing and wonderful characterizations.
There is a wonderful small scene in Swingers, which has Trent playing Video Hockey with another friend. They engage in obscene banter that sounds like a typical exchange you WOULD expect while playing such a game. I laughed harder in that scene then I do in most Hollywood movies, it is driven by the characters - like the film.
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