This is part of a regular feature in the magazine - Vegas Movies, by Mark Turnock.
SWINGERS
“Look at this, OK? I want you to remember this face. This is the guy behind the guy behind the guy.”
An ultra-low budget production, Swingers was produced independently by the director (Doug Liman) after the studio heads said they would only fund it if famous actors were given the parts. Luckily this was in the days when Liman had integrity (ie: before Mr & Mrs Smith), and instead cast the writer and his friends in the roles (as had been intended), and thus unleashed upon the world for good the comic force that is Vince Vaughn. Sorry- I know Mr Vaughn doesn’t usually play too well in critics views, but I think he’s probably the funniest guy doing movies at the moment (who else would be- Adam Sandler?!), and this is especially evident in his breakout picture, the excellent Swingers.
Conceived as a Rat Pack for the nineties (and crossed with some of writer Jon Favreau’s real life experiences), the film focuses around Mike, a twenty something actor whose biggest role to date was a walk-on part in Seinfeld, and his directionless buddy, the smooth talking charismatic Trent (Vaughn)- whose gift in life is the power to, apparently, seduce any girl anywhere with minimal fuss. Along with the rest of their ‘rat pack’ (macho Sue, loser Rob and the very cool Charles), they prowl the nightclubs of LA for dates, with one golden rule in mind: ‘cocktails first, questions later.’ Trent especially loves this scene, being the charmer that he is, showing off his connections in various clubs (including one scene where, in an amusing take on the iconic shot in GoodFellas, Trent gets them in the back way to a club, leading them through a maze of grimy kitchens and dingy halls completely unlike Henry Hill’s glamorous entrance in GoodFellas), and, more than anything, showing his buddy Mike how to ‘work the scene’. Unfortunately for Trent, Mike has just broken up with his long-distance girl friend and is devastated, wanting nothing more than to stay in and brood about it. So, deciding to force Mike back into the game, Trent grabs him from his flat at 11 at night and drives the two of them to the only logical place to get Mike laid quickly, easily and guilt-free: Vegas.
Admittedly, unlike Casino, only roughly a third of Swingers takes place actually in Vegas, but it is definitely the best part of the movie that does so, and its depiction of Vegas is clever and memorable enough to get it into the list of great Vegas movies, easily. Whereas, in other movies, Vegas is always either really glamorous and dazzling (Casino etc), or darkly depressing (Leaving Las Vegas, The Cooler), Swingers distinguishes itself by making Vegas so ordinary. When Trent and Mike arrive, they still have to find parking, and, once inside the casino itself, find nothing but bored tourists tugging away at the slot machines monotonously, and rich blackjack players who are hardly more excited themselves. Where is the Vegas of the movies, the rich, colourful city of dreams? Where indeed. Left nearly broke by the dollar ante poker table, the pair resort to doing what they do best; guzzling cocktails and looking for sex. Two hot cocktail waitresses aside, the duo once again learn that everything in Vegas is nothing like the movies, as Mike hilariously messes up their only chance at a good score with a pair of trailer trash girls on the city limits somewhere.
Swingers may not be one of the greatest films ever made, but it is impressive for its budget, and has a streak of humor that keeps things alive throughout and is just so, so quotable. Trust me, after watching this film, you too will be using ‘money’ as an adjective (as in “oh man that was so fucking money!”) and, for once, it’s nice to see a film that so mocks the classic movie image of Vegas, even if it isn’t for very long. And, hey, we need another rat pack after all.
Useless fact: Most of the Vegas scenes in this movie were shot without permission. One scene was even shot with cops standing just out of shot, ready to chuck the crew out, as the assistant director repeatedly assured the cops they weren’t filming, just checking the equipment was still working.
SWINGERS
“Look at this, OK? I want you to remember this face. This is the guy behind the guy behind the guy.”
An ultra-low budget production, Swingers was produced independently by the director (Doug Liman) after the studio heads said they would only fund it if famous actors were given the parts. Luckily this was in the days when Liman had integrity (ie: before Mr & Mrs Smith), and instead cast the writer and his friends in the roles (as had been intended), and thus unleashed upon the world for good the comic force that is Vince Vaughn. Sorry- I know Mr Vaughn doesn’t usually play too well in critics views, but I think he’s probably the funniest guy doing movies at the moment (who else would be- Adam Sandler?!), and this is especially evident in his breakout picture, the excellent Swingers.
Conceived as a Rat Pack for the nineties (and crossed with some of writer Jon Favreau’s real life experiences), the film focuses around Mike, a twenty something actor whose biggest role to date was a walk-on part in Seinfeld, and his directionless buddy, the smooth talking charismatic Trent (Vaughn)- whose gift in life is the power to, apparently, seduce any girl anywhere with minimal fuss. Along with the rest of their ‘rat pack’ (macho Sue, loser Rob and the very cool Charles), they prowl the nightclubs of LA for dates, with one golden rule in mind: ‘cocktails first, questions later.’ Trent especially loves this scene, being the charmer that he is, showing off his connections in various clubs (including one scene where, in an amusing take on the iconic shot in GoodFellas, Trent gets them in the back way to a club, leading them through a maze of grimy kitchens and dingy halls completely unlike Henry Hill’s glamorous entrance in GoodFellas), and, more than anything, showing his buddy Mike how to ‘work the scene’. Unfortunately for Trent, Mike has just broken up with his long-distance girl friend and is devastated, wanting nothing more than to stay in and brood about it. So, deciding to force Mike back into the game, Trent grabs him from his flat at 11 at night and drives the two of them to the only logical place to get Mike laid quickly, easily and guilt-free: Vegas.
Admittedly, unlike Casino, only roughly a third of Swingers takes place actually in Vegas, but it is definitely the best part of the movie that does so, and its depiction of Vegas is clever and memorable enough to get it into the list of great Vegas movies, easily. Whereas, in other movies, Vegas is always either really glamorous and dazzling (Casino etc), or darkly depressing (Leaving Las Vegas, The Cooler), Swingers distinguishes itself by making Vegas so ordinary. When Trent and Mike arrive, they still have to find parking, and, once inside the casino itself, find nothing but bored tourists tugging away at the slot machines monotonously, and rich blackjack players who are hardly more excited themselves. Where is the Vegas of the movies, the rich, colourful city of dreams? Where indeed. Left nearly broke by the dollar ante poker table, the pair resort to doing what they do best; guzzling cocktails and looking for sex. Two hot cocktail waitresses aside, the duo once again learn that everything in Vegas is nothing like the movies, as Mike hilariously messes up their only chance at a good score with a pair of trailer trash girls on the city limits somewhere.
Swingers may not be one of the greatest films ever made, but it is impressive for its budget, and has a streak of humor that keeps things alive throughout and is just so, so quotable. Trust me, after watching this film, you too will be using ‘money’ as an adjective (as in “oh man that was so fucking money!”) and, for once, it’s nice to see a film that so mocks the classic movie image of Vegas, even if it isn’t for very long. And, hey, we need another rat pack after all.
Useless fact: Most of the Vegas scenes in this movie were shot without permission. One scene was even shot with cops standing just out of shot, ready to chuck the crew out, as the assistant director repeatedly assured the cops they weren’t filming, just checking the equipment was still working.
