"'Made' Men"
by Scott Mantz

"Made"
Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn
Directed by Jon Favreau

With friends like these...! Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau have a plan, but not a clue in "Made"

To quote The Rolling Stones, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need." Unfortunately for nice guy Jon Favreau, that's the lesson he learns the hard way in "Made," his impressive directorial debut and his first film with co-star Vince Vaughn since 1996's "Swingers." There's no doubt that "Made" is an engaging, funny, and totally absorbing alternative to the blockbuster mentality that's currently melting brains at the local cineplex, but what really sets it apart from the rest of the summer fodder is the remarkable chemistry between Vaughn and Favreau.

Bobby (Jon Favreau) and Ricky (Vince Vaughn) are aspiring boxers--and lifelong friends--who are forced to do menial jobs to make a living. Bobby's desperate to get his stripper girlfriend (Famke Jansen) out of debt, and Ricky...well, he's just desperate. They take part in a money laundering scheme that will pay them a lot of cash, but before they know it, they're in over their heads in the criminal underworld of New York. A job that should have been a cinch gets progressively worse--thanks in part to Ricky's big mouth--and Bobby has to bide his time if he is going to fulfill his obligations and get out of New York in one piece.

Anyone who's seen "Swingers" remembers the now infamous scene where Jon Favreau's character leaves countless messages on the answering machine of a girl he met at a bar. It's one of the funniest scenes in the movie, but it's also one of the most uncomfortable. Try to imagine a whole movie like that, and there you have "Made." This time around, it's Vince Vaughn's character who provides that level of humor and discomfort, if for no other reason because he can't keep his big mouth shut.

Thanks to an incredible amount of chemistry between Vaughn and Favreau, "Made" could easily qualify as "The Odd Couple" of the 21st Century. Even though they get on each other's nerves, there's no doubt that these two friends would do anything for each other (and trust me, they do). Just as he did in "Swingers," Vaughn commands the screen and has some of the best lines in the movie, but unlike his character from "Swingers," he just doesn't have a clue. Jon Favreau is just as effective, but in a completely different way. Where Vaughn takes center stage and gives what just may be the performance of his brief career, Favreau is much more understated as he tries to do what's right.

The supporting performances are brief, but just as effective as they compliment Vaughn and Favreau. Peter Falk plays Favreau's crooked boss with a soft-spoken demeanor (at least, he's soft spoken until you piss him off), while Famke Jansen plays Favreau's hopeless girlfriend. Also, keep an eye out for Sean "Puffy" Combs, who makes an effective big screen debut as the New York thug who holds the loot for the score.

In closing, I'd like to quote another song. This one's by The Beatles, and it goes, "Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friends." When all is said and done, Favreau's Bobby learns that lesson as well, and even though he may not realize it at the time, he ultimately gets what he deserves. Despite the fact that Vince Vaughn gets on your nerves after a while, "Made" has an effective payoff, and it ends up as a surprisingly heartwarming film. In other words--and as their characters in "Swingers" were so fond of saying--it's so "money" that it's definitely worth the price of admission.

Back to Scott's New Movie Reviews

Review Archives