In 1993, I went to see a movie called "Rudy." I remember liking the movie a lot, even though it was ridiculously corny at times. In the movie, there was an actor who played the title character's best friend. The actor was some fat guy I never heard of, but I remember thinking that he was very good in it. Also, there was an actor who had a much smaller role, he played some asshole football player guy. He wasn't as memorable because his role was much smaller. The fat best friend was played by Jon Favreau. The asshole football player was played by Vince Vaughn. I think they met on the set of "Rudy," but it's possible that they were friends before it. Either way, a few years later, these guys went on to star in a great movie together called "Swingers," which was also written by Favreau. Though it didn't exactly rake in the cash in the box office, it became a surprise hit on video. Steven Spielberg saw it and immediately cast Vaughn in "The Lost World," and his career has been non-stop ever since. Favreau has been seen here and there in movies (most notably as Cameron Diaz's husband-to-be in "Very Bad Things") and on TV (most notably as Courtney Cox's former mega-rich boyfriend in "Friends"). I guess it was just a matter of time before Favreau and Vaughn starred in another movie together.
"Made" reteams Jon Favreau with Vince Vaughn, and once again, Favreau wrote the script. But unlike "Swingers," which was directed by Doug Liman (who also directed "Go"), Favreau also handled directing duties. "Made" is really good, and I laughed a lot, but no, it wasn't as good as "Swingers."
Vince Vaughn should definitely win some awards for his performance in this movie. It's not one of those deep, emotional performances, though. He just talks. And talks. And talks. The guy never shuts up. He babbles so damn much, it gets irritating at times, but the way Vaughn handles it is beautiful. It's not just what he says, but how he says it, and he nails every single line of dialogue. How the hell did he memorize all those lines, by the way? As the straight man, Favreau is really good. Like in "Swingers," he's the straight man to Vaughn's way out character, and it's very well-suited for both of them. Also in the movie is Sean Combs (AKA Puff Daddy, AKA P. Diddy), and he's not as annoying as I thought he'd be. Actually, he's pretty funny. His acting is decent, though not much of a real challenge. Still, he played the role well. There's also Famke Janssen (she was "Jean Grey" in "X-Men"), who looks really sexy, though kinda skanky, in this movie. She recently starred in an independent film called "Love & Sex" opposite Jon Favreau. Apparently, Favreau is a big comic book geek, and on the set of that movie, he was constantly asking Janssen questions about "X-Men." I guess they hit it off, because he later cast her in "Made." Peter Falk is also in the movie. He starred in a TV show called "Columbo", but most under 40 remember him best as "Grandpa" in "The Princess Bride."
This movie has one of the most bizarre cameos I've ever seen. It's hilarious, and trust me, unless you get up to pee when it's shown, you won't miss it. It's very blatant and obvious. Funny stuff.
Do you know that movie "A Christmas Story"? Great movie. Anyway, remember the kid named "Ralphie"? He was the main character, he wanted that Genuine Red Ryder Carbine Action Two Hundred Shot Lightning Loader Range Model Air Rifle for Christmas. That actor is named Peter Billingsley. Well, he was the co-producer on this movie. Wacky, right?
Wanna know something even MORE wacky? In the same movie, there was an actor named Scott Schwartz. He was the one who stuck his tongue on the light pole. He was also the kid in a movie with Richard Pryor called "The Toy." Well, he's a porn star now.
Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, "Made" was written and directed by Jon Favreau. It's a great script, but I think he needs help as a director. It was a very slow paced movie, so it felt like the movie dragged. The movie is only about 90 minutes long, it shouldn't drag, ya know? Also, some of the shots seemed kinda amateurish, and the ending, which I actually liked, almost seemed like it belonged in a different movie. Like I said, I liked it, but others may find it weird. I dunno, I wish it was in the hands of another director. It woulda been cool if Doug Liman came back to direct it. Actually, he couldn't even if he wanted to. He's busy shooting "The Bourne Identity" with Matt Damon.
"Made" is a very well written movie, and it's very well acted, but I think someone else should have directed it. But what's important is that I enjoyed the movie, and I laughed a lot.
Scale of 1-10: 7