Swingers
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 6.5 Alternative Scale: **1/2 out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: beginning 10/18/96 (limited) Running Length: 1:35 MPAA Classification: R (Profanity, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Patrick Van Horn, Alex Desert, Heather Graham, Deena Martin, Katherine Kendall, Brooke Langton Director: Doug Liman Producer: Victor Simpkins Screenplay: Jon Favreau Cinematography: Doug Liman U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films
SWINGERS is the latest independent film success story. Shot for approximately $250,000, the movie became the object of a bidding war. Miramax eventually secured the distribution rights, but only after agreeing to pay $5 million. Director Doug Liman (who previously made a 1994 movie called GETTING IN), producer Victor Simpkins, and writer/actor Jon Favreau were suddenly a lot more wealthy than they had ever expected to be.
It's hard to understand why the film attracted so much attention. As Generation X comedies go, there's nothing remarkable about this one. It's basically the story of a twenty-something wannabe actor who, coming off a long-term relationship, has trouble meeting women. There's a lot of male bonding going on here, and Quentin Tarantino's influence on the tone is apparent. In short, this is familiar stuff that has been packaged slightly differently (and, considering the growing number of films borrowing from Tarantino's uniquely derivative style, the flavoring isn't all that unique).
The central character is Mike (Jon Favreau), a New York native who moves to L.A. to pursue his acting career. So far, he has managed to get a bit part in a movie and a job hosting an open mike night at a comedy club. His trip west necessitated a breakup with his long-time girlfriend, and Mike misses her horribly. Whenever he meets a girl, he inevitably starts telling her his "sad" story -- not a good way to start a potential romance.
Mike has a "support group" of four male friends: Trent (Vince Vaughn), Rob (Ron Livingston), Sue (Patrick Van Horn), and Charles (Alex Desert). They decide to concentrate all their efforts on getting Mike some female companionship. To that end, they drag him out of his tiny apartment and subject him to a trip to Las Vegas followed by stops at a number of parties and bars. But Mike's dream girl continues to elude him.
Even though the plot of SWINGERS could probably use an injection of originality, the script is littered with effective comedy. In fact, several of the gags are sidesplitting. One uses the JAWS theme to identify a predator at a party, another portrays a woman at a bar as a bunny, and a third has Mike wrestling with the problem of an answering machine message that cuts him off before he can leave his phone number. Then there's a hilariously bad jazz rendition of "Staying Alive" that will have SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER fans cringing.
The film makers don't attempt to hide their infatuation with Tarantino, and elements of his style have wormed their way into the production. Actor Vince Vaughn resembles the PULP FICTION director, both in terms of physical appearance and acting ability. One of the characters has a RESERVOIR DOGS poster on his wall. An argument about whether Tarantino borrowed from Scorsese provokes the comment that "everybody steals from everybody". This is followed by a same-shot, same-angle, slo-mo recreation of the RESERVOIR DOGS opening with the characters of SWINGERS replacing Tarantino's unholy gang.
The only actor to leave much of an impression is Jon Favreau, who does a good job emphasizing Mike's "everyman" quality. Anyone (or at least any male) who has experienced romantic disappointment will relate to his situation. His friends may not be the most sympathetic characters, but Mike's a likable guy. The rest of the cast, with the exception of Heather Graham (who has a small role late in the film), is made up of largely-unfamiliar faces, none of whom displays much screen presence.
Had SWINGERS been released five years ago, it would have been cutting-edge. Even as recently as 1994, it would have been reasonably fresh. But today, this kind of story -- a staple of low-budget features -- is getting awfully stale, and the injection of humor can't completely invigorate the proceedings. SWINGERS is enjoyable in a shallow way, but there's nothing so special here that it warrants more than a cursory glance.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
"We go away from our parents in youth and then we gradually come back to them; and in that moment, we have grown up." -- Ingmar Bergman
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