ENTOURAGE (2015)

Genre: Comedy
Director: Doug Ellin
Cast: Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven, Jessica Alba, Liam Neeson, Armie Hammer, Billy Bob Thornton, Mark Wahlberg
RunTime: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: R21 (Sexual Scenes and Coarse Language)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 4 June 2014

Synopsis: Movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), together with his boys, Eric (Kevin Connollly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny (Kevin Dillon) are back...and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Some of their ambitions have changed, but the bond between them remains strong as they navigate the capricious and often cutthroat world of Hollywood.

Movie Review:

Let’s put it simply – ‘Entourage’ is meant for those who wished the ride wasn’t over for Vinnie Chase, his loyal buddies E, Johnny and Turtle, and not forgetting of course his longtime agent Ari Gold. If none of those names don’t mean anything to you, well this movie probably won’t either, but those looking to relive the escapism which ended four years back when HBO called it quits after eight seasons will find themselves right at home. Indeed, though the series ended in 2011, screenwriter/ director Doug Ellin plunges us right back to where he left off at the end of Season 8, which in a nutshell had Vince marrying Vanity Fair writer Sophia, Eric announcing that his on-off girlfriend Sloan (Emmanuelle Chriqui) was pregnant, Johnny finding some success in an animated series called Johnny Bananas, Turtle’s tequila business going big, and finally Ari receiving an offer to run a studio.

Well, you can pretty much guess how Vince’s nuptials worked out for him by the opening sequence alone, which sees E, Johnny and Turtle riding a speedboat to meet Vince on board a massive yacht with bikini-clad babes in the dazzling waters of Ibiza. Other than that, E is finding it difficult to move on from Sloan despite hooking up with a hot blond named Melanie (Sabina Gadecki), Johnny’s TV show has all but gone bananas, and Turtle’s business is still booming. Most importantly, Ari is back from his self-imposed exile (with the Mrs’ blessings no less) to run a major Hollywood studio, and wants Vincent to star in the first big-budget feature he greenlights. Vincent’s reply? Sure, but I also want to direct it.

So the story really begins eight months after Vincent muscles Ari into letting him direct a $100 million futuristic sci-fi called ‘Hyde’ that is loosely based on the classic ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, that is already $10 million over budget and in need of another $15 million for visual effects. Unfortunately for Ari, the studio’s co-financier is a Texan oil baron named Larsen McCredle (Billy Bob Thornton), who would only agree to put in more money if his ne’er-do-well son, Travis (Haley Joel Osment), likes the rough cut of the film which Vince has been working on in the editing studio. Hint – a certain Sports Illustrated model named Emily Ratajkowski as well as Johnny’s supporting act in Vince’s film will complicate relations between Vince and Travis.

Amidst the budgetary tussle, other individual character subplots unfold. E is still trying to get back with Sloan, who is due anytime soon. Johnny is still stressing over auditions, and worse becomes the ‘talk of the town’ after a video of him masturbating is leaked by the vengeful boyfriend of a girl he was engaged in webcam sex with. Turtle wants a date with UFC fighter Ronda Rousey and must prove himself worthy after unintentionally snubbing her. And oh, Ari’s former gay assistant Lloyd (whose contact he stores as ‘Gayasian Lloyd’) is getting married and wants Ari to give him away – though Ellin has saved that for a mid-credit scene with George Takei as the minister who officiates the wedding.    

As any fan of the TV series will tell you, the plot is secondary to the repartee that, at its best, is smart, sharp and really funny. Ari still has the best lines of course, and Jeremy Piven delivers them with his signature zing and pizzazz; in particular, a sequence where he is interrupted by a phone call while reciting the lines of a CD playing in his car that is meant to help soothe his nerves is simply priceless. Next to Ari, Johnny has been and continues to be the funniest one of the group by simply being clueless, daft and self-absorbed, which is also why we absolutely buy into his social media faux pas. And yet, as its title implies, this was never a show about any particular character, and true to that, the chemistry between Vince and his buddies is priceless. It was what gives the show its energy and its vibe, and is what gives the movie its pulse.

Yes, many may argue whether it is an examination or a celebration of the worst of Hollywood culture, and at the same time criticise it for being shallow, misogynistic, self-serving, xenophobic and even racist. But even as it treads on the meta between fiction and reality, Ellin’s creation was never meant to be more than just entertainment for the casual viewer based upon a souped-up universe of booze, weed, parties, sex and other forms of hedonism. A lot of it is meant to be fantasy, the glitz and glamour of fame and celebrity that lures people to Hollywood, but between that are also bits of sobering reality about how the business is run, especially in the central narrative of just who has artistic license in such big-budget investments.

At no point does anyone take the film too seriously, which is precisely why you’ll find a whole list of real-life celebrities willing to stake their appearance in the film, including Armie Hammer as an emotionally unhinged version of himself miffed at Vince for dating Emily and Jessica Alba as a wannabe first-time director who begs Ari to greenlight her film. Kelsey Grammer, Liam Neeson, Jon Favreau, Pharrell Williams, TI, David Spade and Warren Buffett also turn up at some point to join in the fun. Even the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) lends their annual Golden Globe Awards to top it all off. It’s a party all right, and anyone looking for more won’t find it here. Though the happily-ever after ending feels more tacked on than anything in any of the seasons, there is plenty of goodwill to go around, and fans should know better than to begrudge this reunion. We’re not sure how much gas is left in this tank, so savour it while the ride ain’t over. 

Movie Rating:

(One for the fans - 'Entourage' returns sharp, funny, and entertaining as ever, for better or for worse)

Review by Gabriel Chong