A big American city, four friends, sexual escapades, alcohol and drug abuse. Does that sound familiar? No, I am not talking about Sex and the City, but about the male equivalent Entourage.
Entourage is a 2004 American TV series broadcasted by HBO and was seen by the public as a manly answer to HBO’s Sex and the City. The show received mixed reviews by critics and was condemned for being masochistic and hostile towards women. Personally, I liked it and thought it was a brilliant TV show; therefore I was saddened when the credits rolled on the last episode in the year 2011.
But as with Sex and the City, producers of the series listened to the outcry of fans and went on to develop a movie. Entourage-The Movie was released in the states in June and will be released in Germany on July 9th. I am therefore writing this review as anticipation to, what I thought was, a pretty fantastic and underrated TV drama and comedy series.
The series was created and written by Doug Ellin with Mark Wahlberg and Steven Levinson serving as executive producers. The show stars Adrien Grenier as the main character Vincent Chase, Kevin Connolly as Vincent’s best friend and manager Eric “E” Murphy, Kevin Dillon as Vincent’s older half-brother Johnny “Drama” Chase, Jerry Ferrara as Salvatore “Turtle” Assante and finally Jeremy Piven as Vincent’s agent Ari Gold.
The story of this comedy-drama follows the life of the rising movie star Vincent Chase, as he is thrown into the glamorous world of the rich and famous in Hollywood. By his side and living with him are his friends and family who serve young Vinie as his entourage. Chase as his manager, though completely inexperienced, employs his best friend Eric “E” Murphy. This causes at times friction with Vincent’s agent Ari Gold, who feels at times as if the inexperienced group causes more trouble than good.
The sub-plots in this highly amusing series includes; sexual fauxpas, drug abuse, an “over-the-top” depiction of the backstabbing Hollywood business life and a lot of cameos of famous actors/actresses, musicians, business man etc.
Further side stories talk about relationship problems, money issues, loyalty to friends and family in this business and of course the art of acting. Especially loyalty to family is a theme that is touched upon several times in this series.
The TV Show is supposed to be a lighter fictional approach on Wahlberg’s road to success in the film industry and there are a couple of rumours floating around the web, on how it came to be developed. All characters seen in the show are based on friends, colleagues and family members of Whalberg.
Entourage is very entertaining; it portrays the life of the rich and the famous in a very satirical way. Vincent has more luck than brains most of the time, and Jonny “Drama” is chasing his old glory days as a Primetime TV star. But Ari Gold is by far the funniest character of the lot; Jeremy Piven was nominated and won several Emmy Awards, praising his portrayal as the choleric Agent of the new film star.
The acting in general is very good! Kevin Connolly and Kevin Dillon are fantastic in their roles, especially Dillon, who manages to crack me up everytime, as Johnny “Drama” is brilliant. Salvatore and Grenier where the weaker links in this sitcom. That doesn’t mean they have been bad but especially Grenier does seem a little bland at times.
As far as cinematography goes, Entourage episodes are filmed really well, with clear and fantastically lit frames. There is not much that can be said otherwise, as it is a sitcom set in a real life environment. The few “action” scenes happening from time to time were handled well and the comedic imagery was captured perfectly.
The music in the TV series is fantastic. It is a mix of rock, hip-hop and R&B, all from the noughties. Every song was perfectly picked out to fit the situation the group found themselves in. The introductory title music is a song written and performed by Jane’s Addiction from the 2003 album “Strays”.
Verdict: Entourage is one of my favourite dramatic comedy shows. It combines both genres perfectly and though all the sex talk, naked skin and Hollywood insights are entertaining, it is the male comradery that really sells this TV series. I therefore give it an 8 out of 10.
Did you watch Entourage? If so, what did you think of it? Did you enjoy it, loath it or did you simply find it alright? Leave a comment below and let me know which episodes were your favourite ones.
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