Cast: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Sean Combs, Peter Falk, Famke Janssen, Faizon Love, David O'Hara, Vincent Pastore, Makenzie Vega
Director: Jon Favreau
Producers: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn
Screenplay: Jon Favreau
Cinematography: Christopher Doyle
U.S. Distributor: Artisan Entertainment
Made represents the long-awaited re-teaming of Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, the likable losers who kept trying to convince each other that they were "money" in the 1996 indie comedy, Swingers. Sadly, I must report that not only does Made not come close to Swingers in terms of likability or comedic potential, but the production is so forced and humorless that someone should have put an end to it before it was committed to celluloid. Made is stale and turgid - a lifeless film that subjects an audience to 90 minutes of banal character interaction, flat dialogue, and dumb plot twists before mercifully rolling the end credits.
Bobby (Favreau) and Ricky (Vaughn) are two-bit boxers who have about as much chance of reaching the big time as they have of winning the lottery. Bobby has the heart, but not the talent (his record is 5-5-1), and Ricky is just along for the ride. One day, Max (Peter Falk, using an annoyingly gravelly voice), the local mob boss, recruits these two to run a simple errand for him in New York. While there, they're supposed to participate in a drop being orchestrated by one of Max's business associates, Ruiz (Sean Combs). However, although Bobby is willing to stick to the plan as laid out by Max, Ricky starts to improvise, and his flourishes threaten to torpedo the entire operation.
The most glaring flaw in Made is that it's boring. There's no other way to put it. Everything about this film is dull. Nearly every one of Favreau's jokes falls flat with an audible thud. In fact, the most clever moment in the film is an in-joke referring to Swingers (a license plate number is "DBLDN11" - referring to a scene in the earlier film when the two characters lose $200 by doubling down on an 11 in Blackjack). Comedies that don't make the viewer laugh are in trouble. Add to this the fact that Vaughn's Ricky is one of the most aggravating jackasses to grace the screen this year, and it's a recipe for disaster. Ricky would be endurable if he were cute or amusing, but he's just annoying. Maybe this is Vaughn doing his best Pauly Shore imitation.
Favreau is the lone island of competence in an otherwise disastrous production. Bobby is likable, and I kept thinking the movie might be tolerable if he ditched Ricky. However, just because Favreau's acting skills are okay doesn't exonerate him, since, in addition to co-starring, he also wrote, directed, and co-produced this movie. That makes him the one to bear primary responsibility for pilfering 1 1/2 hours of my time.
Famke Janssen, Favreau's co-star in Love & Sex, has a small role as Bobby's stripper girlfriend. Peter Falk tries to create a bizarre cross between Columbo and Vito Corleone. Sean Combs (better known as "Puffy") never once cracks a smile playing the part of a bad-ass. Then there are some "Sopranos" cast members, including Vincent Pastore (who played the late, lamented Big Pussy in the TV show), Drea de Matteo (Adriana), and Federico Castelluccio (Furio). I was waiting for James Gandolfini to make an appearance.
I have never been a huge fan of Swingers, which I found to be mildly entertaining but overrated. Nevertheless, compared to Made, the 1996 outing is a pinnacle of snappy dialogue, ingenious plotting, and side-splitting humor. Both films have artificial endings, but, while the cheesy happiness used to conclude Swingers fits the situation, the contrivance in Made is the result of a desperate screenwriter who couldn't figure out how else to bring this mess to a close. Made doesn't offer anything that can't be refused.
© 2001 James Berardinelli