For those of you who have not heard of Entourage, it started life as a TV series which ran from 2004 to 2011 and it was based on the early career of actor and producer Mark Wahlberg who was also executive producer of the series and now the Movie. Hence, he appears about three times in cameo scenes.

The series followed the life of a young good-looking A-list actor called Vince Chase (Adrian Grenier) who left New York for La La Land and surrounded himself with three of his childhood pals who he grew up with in Queens.

Your Local Guardian:

The Boys

The entourage consists of Eric (Kevin Connolly who gets top billing in the movie) who is Vince’s buddy and producer. Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) who is Vince’s buddy and driver and not sure what else and Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon) nicknamed…Drama, who is there basically because he is Vince’s Brother.


MORE FILM AND TV:


The catalyst that binds them together is Vince’s agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) more of a Father figure to the guys. In the Movie Ari has moved up in the world and runs a Hollywood studio which is producing Vince’s latest film ‘Hyde’ based on the Robert Louis Stevenson’s best-selling book Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

The main story of Entourage the Movie revolves around Ari’s studio having the film funded by a Texan millionaire Larson McCredle (a nice turn from Billy Bob Thornton) and his spoilt, porky and obnoxious son Travis played by Haley Joel Osment who looks as though he was the one who eat all the pies and is hardly recognisable now from the little kid who saw dead people ‘all the time’ and was Forest Gump junior which is a gag they make in the film. He’s more like Justin Lee Collins now.

Your Local Guardian:

Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly and Hayley Joel Osment.

The film has gone over budget but before Larson can agree to put up more money he wants to see where the million dollars was spent so he sends young Travis to Hollywood to find out.

Right from the opening scene I really didn’t think that I was going to like this film. A title flashes across the screen letting the audience know that we are in Ibiza. We see a big luxury powerboat speeding towards yet another even bigger luxury boat which is packed with bikini clad women enjoying a party by host, actor Vince Chase.

Your Local Guardian:

The entourage in the powerboat are whooping and screaming and I feared that this was going to be The Inbetweeners do Hollywood via the Spanish islands.

However, as the film picked up speed I started to warm to the characters and could see why the series was so popular and ran for seven years. Everybody loves celebrity (even if they don’t admit it).

This film is full of Hollywood cameos from Kelsey Grammer to a bloated and sad looking Gary Busey. Kevin Connolly who plays producer friend Eric or ‘E’ as his pals call him, is popular with the girls in the movie because he’s the cute quiet one and looks like Dec without Ant.

Your Local Guardian:

Jerry Ferrara, Turtle, was obviously carrying some weight in the TV series as there is a running joke where everyone comments how slim he looks now “have you been working out?”

Kevin Dillon turns down the obnoxious dial as the film goes on and you do end up feeling sorry for him sometimes.

It’s Jeremy Piven though who carries the film and gives a good comedy performance as the stressed out studio boss. Yes the film might be a bit shallow but sometimes shallow is OK when it’s entertaining.

A good film to watch when you have had a tough day and don’t want to think too hard.

Out now.

Your Local Guardian:

 

See trailer: