Strong and Moving!

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Bobby (Jon Favreau) is a nice likable guy. His friend Ricky (Vince Vaughn) is obnoxious and can't keep his mouth shut. He doesn't realize everything is his fault. After a few screw ups they are sent from LA to NYC to make a drop, something that never made any sense, even to the characters in the film.The film is mildly humorous. There isn't much of a plot.Guide: F-word. Nudity (porn star Jenteal)

The basic arc of the story had some good elements to it. I enjoyed the exposition and build up. But I was going out of my mind watching Vince Vaughn's character steal the story. 2/3 of the movie is him being extremely annoying. After 10-15 minutes of it I was ready for something else.

This flick wasn't as cool as Swingers. Vince Vaughn is put in the weak / dumb guy role, and that isn't his strength. Why does he have a fake gun at one point? We want Vince to be the mile-a-minute chatter box who is joking with everyone, sassing friends, and sweeping girls off their feet (think Swingers or Wedding Crashers). But it's cool in it's off-beat way and has it's moments. It's great to see Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn together again. What you really want is a Swingers 2, but that kind of uniqueness is hard to repeat. Made is definitely worth a rental. Speed DVD it maybe (2x speed with high pitched audio if your DVD supports it).

"Made" is nothing special. If it were graded as a separate film it would probably have gotten better reviews. However, because it draws immediate comparisons to the hit indie film "Swingers" from 1996, the general consensus drops even lower.However, those comparing the two are missing the point of "Made." It's a separate film. It's not a sequel. Sure, there are a few self-referential moments (such as the scene in the hotel room when Vaughn brings back the girls and is going into the next room and leaves Favreau by himself, awkwardly, with Drea DeMatteo, which is an exact retreat of a scene from the other film) but overall it has an entirely different tone. It's darker, bleaker, less funny and a bit meaner. It's violent, and is about the Mafia, so whatever you think of "Swingers" - abandon your opinions at the door and take this in as a different film. Judge it as it is and not for what it could have been. Because although this isn't a great film it IS different than "Swingers" for the most part, and director Favreau goes for an entirely different approach, which is a good thing in my opinion.The performances are still good - Vaughn doing his crazy-guy routine and Favreau playing the put-upon good guy with a heart of gold.Overall, perhaps not worth a purchase, but maybe a rental.