As a standalone movie, I'd imagine this feels like Hangover Part 10... I'm not sure they could have crammed in any more celebrity cameos into that run time so I'm quite surprised they managed to reheat a few old episode plotlines and jam them in too!
There are a couple of positives... The first of course is that we get to see a cast of characters that we know and (mostly) love come back to life for a while. The second is Hayley Joel Osment who is an absolute joy and dare-I-say-it underused!
The negatives - completely undoing much of the satisfaction at the end of the series only to tread old ground half as well. Sloan and E (did they dip the beautiful and elegant Emanuelle Chriqui in mahogany wood paint before each of her scenes?) was a sad rehash of a tired trope from series. Ari and Melissa - again, have we not been here many times before. Vince - still an absolute wanker so no change there but it would have been nice to see him redeemed more effectively from being such a shitty actor and character.
I thought some of the choices of direction were very weak - like the zooming in on Ari's face as he launches into one his brilliant tirades. The show didn't have it and the film didn't need it. Write a solid 6 episode arc and film it as a movie... They did everything but the solid bit.
Overall it is a must see as a fan of the show - and that's the only reason they made it, let's face it.
(I think it's sad that none of the stars have gone on to other things but it does make for a strange time-capsule/alternate-reality where Vincent Chase might just be a Hollywood star)
6/10
Review by benoliver999BlockedParent2015-06-15T21:18:20Z
The boys are back! Is that a good thing? Who knows! Yes it’s time for Vince and his mates to get into more capers for another 90 minutes in this big screen continuation of the TV show.
If you’re not familiar with the show, Adrian Grenier plays movie star Vince Chase. For eight seasons it tracks his rise to fame, and the lives of his ‘entourage’ - his brother and two friends he brings along for the ride.
Here, Vince has decided to direct a blockbuster film. It’s way over budget and the financiers are reluctant to write another cheque. One of the big money guys (Billy Bob Thornton) sends his obnoxious son (Hayley Joel Osment) to see an early preview of the film and decide on its fate.
For better or for worse, Entourage plays out like a long episode of the show. Fans are likely to be happy. The problem is that it’s not like a good episode of the show.
The pretty women and cameos come in thick and fast to cover up the fact that nothing is happening. These boys no longer have problems, they’ve got it made. That’s kind of fun to watch for five minutes but it’s got a very short shelf life.
The performances are the same as ever, funny and charismatic but two dimensional. Jeremy Piven clearly enjoys himself and still manages to get genuine laughs. Everyone else is in the film for less than one minute.
This is far from the train wreck critics have laid it out to be, however it’s definitely a project that didn’t need to happen. It’s a gilded, bikini-clad, celebrity-filled waste of time.
http://benoliver999.com/film/2015/06/15/entourage/