Review: Entourage

Let me just stop you right there, fan of HBO’s Entourage. I never watched the show so this review is probably rather pointless from your point of view. Sure, I saw a few episodes here and there, but I really have no attachment to the characters or the story. If you do this movie will probably be an entirely different experience for you then for me.

It is quite clear from the word go that Entourage was made as a final episode for the show. I can only guess how well it works as that, but I can tell you that as a stand alone movie it does not stand alone. There’s nothing wrong with a film for the fans, unless you’re not one. 

Entourage
Director: Doug Ellin
Rated: R
Release Date: June 3, 2015

Entourage focuses on Vince (Adrian Grenier) and his entourage: Eric (Kevin Connolly), Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon) and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara). The show was about Vince’s rise to fame after being discovered by agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). From what I’ve seen of it it basically was about the four guys driving around acting like assholes, but having everything work out for them. The film is basically the exact same thing, but on a bigger scale.

Ari is now the head of a film studio and he wants Vince to make his first movie, but Vince won’t do it unless he can direct. Ari acquiesces and we jump forward a few an unspecified amount of time to Vince running out of money and Ari having to go to the films financiers, Travis Mcredel (Haley Joel Osment) and his father (Billy Bob Thorton) to beg for more money. Unfortunately Travis is sent back with Ari to see the movie and starts causing trouble. This doesn’t actually effect anyone that much except for Ari, so the rest of the crew spends the film hitting on women, driving a crazy cool Cadillac and having sex.

What was always the most confusing thing about Entourage is that it never seemed to have a point, and this film suffers from the same problem unless it’s sole point was more Entourage. If that’s the case then well done, but I’m guessing it wasn’t. The movie is neither satire or straight comedy. It has not true dramatic push and makes no attempt at developing its characters. It’s only theme seems to be cramming cameos into every shot and its only message is that celebrities get to have a slot of sex and date Rhonda Rousey. If that’s what you’re going in for then you’ll be pleased, but as someone looking for an actual movie out the experience you’re going to be very disappointed.

The film’s lack of narrative focus and avoidance of any attempt at self awareness is also problematic because it can’t quite handle its rampant sexism and racism. The point, it seems, is to send up the ridiculousness that is Hollywood, but the movie is never clever enough or interesting enough to do that. It replaces interesting female characters with cameos and any attempts at constructing a plot that seems to move forward are derailed by subplots that seem entirely pointless. Maybe a fan of the show would be attached to them since they’re already attached to the characters, but anyone else will just wonder why we should care.

That’s not to say that all of Entourage doesn’t work. Piven’s Ari Gold is easily one of the best characters to come out of television, and the film makers obviously know this. He gets more screen time than anyone else and milks it fantastically. Granier seems almost useless as the rest of the cast plays around him, but only Dillon’s character’s subplot is actually somewhat interesting with the other two entourage members having needles story lines thrown around, and this despite the fact that one of them involves Rousey. 

It’s very clear that those who watched the show will get a lot more out of the film than I did, but for those that didn’t it’s probably best to just stay away or keep it for a rental. There’s nothing new or interesting here to latch onto and in the end the film feels more like a reunion special than a movie. That’s all well and good for fans, but when someone is shelling out a full ticket price they should expect a bit more.