Score: 1.5/5
The boys are back in town with all of the swag but none of the flair.
TV show series creator Doug Ellin unsuccessfully decided to take another shot at “Entourage,” which ended its HBO reign with 96 episodes and eight seasons in 2011.
I started watching the show when I first moved to the U.S. in 2009, and I must admit I was an avid fan.
The series, as does the movie, narrates the story of Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), his best friend/manager E (Kevin Connolly) his brother Johnny “Drama” (Kevin Dillon), his friend and driver Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and his agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven).
The series depicts the wild lifestyle of Hollywood celebrities accompanied by many cameos of real-life celebrities. We follow Chase, who is trying to make it big in Hollywood, and his friends tag along on the roller coaster of ups and downs until Chase finally makes it. The success of the series leaned on a stellar performance by Piven, which earned him three back-to-back Emmys from 2006 to 2008. His strength was making the audience feel that the viewer is like a fifth member of the gang, following them around places that would normally be off limits.
When the series ended, it felt like it was rushed, and I was not quite convinced with the road taken by most of the characters. However, Ellin left the end wide open, suggesting a comeback in the future with a scene after the credits of the last episode.
Four years later, “Entourage” the movie is now playing in theatres, and I agree with most of the critics — the movie is a completely unnecessary sell-out.
It seemed that egocentric creator Ellin made this movie just to ride the wave of fame once more. The opening titles feature his name at least five times as he credits himself for the most important roles that a movie has.
The movie lacks a plot, feeling mostly like an extended version of an episode. I was looking forward on reuniting with Chase’s entourage, but what was once fresh and interesting has now turned stale and boring. In the TV series, cameos served a purpose for the story line, but now they are thrown left and right for no reason. Women are objectified more than ever before, and product placement invaded the movies like an alien race.
The characters are not challenged at any point, the scenes and sequences seem pointless and the only few good jokes were burnt in the movie trailer.
The only exception to this catastrophe of movie is Gold, who, as always, doesn’t fail to deliver. Piven single-handedly manages to keep the movie from sinking into a vast sea of bad reviews and disappointed fans who left the theater craving the unsatisfied need of a last fresh ride with the boys.