This place is dead anyway (Swingers (DVD))

Member Name: triplecthegame

Product:	Swingers (DVD)
Date:	18/01/04 (732 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny at times, Slick

Disadvantages: Goes off the storyline at times

I?ve wanted to see Swingers for what feels like forever now - obviously it isn?t forever as the movies not even 10 years old yet, but you get the picture. It all started back when I bought Go! on DVD (2001 if my memory still works fine) and saw the header ?from the makers of Swingers? - then I watched Go! and decided that Swingers was probably going to be good as well.

Well in the early hours of one morning it was on Channel 4 - so 3 years after first wanting to see it, Tripley has finally seen Swingers... and what did he think of it? Well that?s why I?m typing this little review out for all of you.

The story is simple really, 6 months ago Mike moved to L.A. to try and finally make it big as a stand-up comedian and maybe even get a part in a sit-com, however in the process of moving to L.A. he also split up with his long-term girlfriend, now team that up with the fact that his hopes/plans of stardom are all still a long way from actually happening and that?s a cocktail for one depressed lead character. But have no fear as Mike?s friends Trent, Rob, Sue and Charles are all here for him - they?re going to show him how to really live in L.A. including what places to go and how long to wait before calling someone who?s given you their number.

**Story-Telling**

A lot of movies suffer from either under or over-kill of this, either telling too much of the story or not enough, where-as with Swingers so long as you quickly pick up on a couple of bits of L.A. slang that they use then you?ll be fine, never once is there a scene that leaves you wondering just what exactly happened and again there isn?t any scene?s where Doug Liman (the director of the movie) insults your intelligence, you always get the feeling that he?s letting you take the story for exactly what you want it to be, which is a nice change in the movie-world.

**Cast**

Mike played by Jon Favreau: This is the character that everyones meant to feel something for
- he?s moved to the big city and is finding it hard, especially as everyone he knows seems to find living in the big city easy. Then if you throw in the fact that he constantly wonders if he?s made the right choice in leaving his girlfriend you?ve got one very depressed character.

The acting is top class - you may remember the actor from his later projects - Playing Pete the millionaire in Friends and playing Franklin, the lawyer in Daredevil - the guy can provide some good comedy acting and this movie is no different - you get the idea that he?s really putting feeling into this character - when he gets his pitiful scenes you feel for him, but that?s not all down to the scene, its down to the way Favreau?s playing the part as well.

Trent played by Vince Vaughn: The anti-Mike, he?s everything Mikes not and then some. To him everything?s ?so Money? and he gets the ladies, whilst continuing to be Mike?s friend and confident - add in that he?s trying to show Mike the way to live in L.A. and this time its a cocky, brash character you have here.

Again for a cocky brash character you need to have the right sort of actor playing it - Vaughn is that sort of actor, he plays the part with a sneer, to him its funny that Mike finds himself in these situations but that?s not going to stop him treating Mike as his own little side project, his aim is to make a L.A. resident out of Mike if its the last thing he does. But of course he can?t be seen at anywhere that?s ?not hip? - and Vaughn just has a way of making you hope that he ends up falling flat on his face.

Rob, Sue and Charles played by Ron Livingston, Patrick Van Horn and Alex Desert: Stuck in a category together because they?re the hangers on of the group - the people that don?t really matter that much to Mike and Trent but they let them hang around anyway.

As hangers on they all get their own lines here or there, and have their funny moments, sometimes you?re going to have to w
ork some of the scenes out for yourself and quite a few times you have to worry where the movies actually going with a scene, but thats never that long as for some reasons its these bit-parters that drag the movie back to its storyline and it works well for everyone. Plus I?ll never tire of hearing Charles signature line ?This place is dead anyway?

**Music and Location**

The soundtrack is something that needs to be just right in a movie - too over-bearing and it can spoil it a bit, not enough and it can leave the movie just a little dull - Swingers for me has got it just right, never do you get the feeling that its over-bearing now its not the type of music I?m into as a lot of the time they break into the old ?big band 50?s? type of music but it fits the stylings of the movie so well.

Location wise its all clubs, restaurants, bars and apartments - again its meant to reflect the feeling of the movie - one that the characters are so hip that they can only be seen in these places, and the work that?s been done by the set designers is a joy to view at times - it gives you a good feel for the movie and characters and accentuates the scenes well.

**Overall**

It?s a good movie, not a great one, at times you find yourself wondering what exactly the movie is all about but it always pulls you back in - and there?s no other actual gripes to be honest, its a movie that if you sit back and take it for what it is you?ll enjoy it, its a very art-house film, and its also trying to be very slick - and most of the time it makes it, only on the rare occasion it doesn?t - but thats nothing to worry about at all.

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