Arresting Development

Entourage

Stars: Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Dillon, Perrey Reeves, Rex Lee, Debi Mazar, Billy Bob Thornton, Haley Joel Osment, Emmanuelle Chrizui and Nora Dunn plus a host of cameo appearances including Jessica Alba, Gary Busey, Kelsey Grammer, George Takei, Ronda Rousey and Mark Wahlberg
Director/Scriptwriter: Doug Ellin
Warner Brothers
Rating: R for sexual material, profanity
Running Length: 95 minutes

What if you wanted to be famous, as in movie star, gathered your friends and headed for the West Coast to give it a try. What if you had some good breaks there and before you know it, one friend was your manager, another your driver, a relative became an actor with emotions and you met a volatile agent? What if this became a successful TV series and then a movie? Such is the life of “Entourage,” which loosely translated means body of attendants or an important person……or another definition of posse. Everyone in middle school and high school wanted a posse or to be included in a posse. To cross the parking lot, enter the school, go to classes and surrounded by your guys and/or gals and watch heads turn. The lead person in front, flanked by the lesser people and at the back, the hangers-on…ah, that was the life. “Entourage” had this down pat in adulthood, lead by Vince (Adrian Grenier.) They are from Queens, hung out together and traveled westward together. A nickname was a must. Friends forever.  Fans of Vince, “E” (Kevin Connolly), “Turtle” (Jerry Ferrara), “Drama” (Kevin Dillon) and Ari (Jeremy Piven) can relax, the guys are on the big screen. What made “Entourage” successful was that nothing was taken seriously, the script poked fun at the entertainment industry and guest stars were plentiful.  Jeremy Piven, especially, as Ari the agent, is channeling this role into the PBS series, “Mr. Selfridge,” managing a department store instead of movie stars.

Continuing from the TV series, this story is a few months later, when Vince left his bride in Paris after a few days of marriage, and is back in L. A. with an offer from Ari to star in a movie called “Hyde.” Vince wants to direct, though, and this causes problems with investors and casting. Vince wants Drama to be a star but no one else wants to work with the volatile actor. From here on, each person has their own story. Vince and the film, Ari and getting and keeping investors, E in staying away from the ladies, Turtle (with a new weight loss) in chasing his latest love Ronda Rousey (who wants to box him in the ring) and Drama in being emotional about everything. As they coast through their adventures, a host of Hollywood stars have cameos from Mark Wahlberg to Ronda Rousey to Gary Busey to Kelsey Grammer. Ari’s secretary, Lloyd, wants to get married and wants Ari to give him away. A running joke here is Ari trying to control his temper. Yes, it is behind the scenes in Hollywood and reminds one of backstage on “Noises Off.”

I enjoyed the television series, that ran more than seven seasons, and the casual attitude of the guys as they go through Hollywood and try for stardom. Very tongue-in-cheek about titles of movies, sexual attitudes and drug use. But the guys are always within reach of each other for support. Families aren't this close, sometimes. Now, in the film, the trademark convertible with Turtle at the wheel is off to new adventures each time the group piles in. Whistling at girls (barely a clothing budget here) and general mayhem was par for the course….and fans went along for the ride. There are yachts the size of Delaware, and parties all the time. Dialogue is witty and sometimes cutting edge, Ari seems to get the best lines and then uses body language to act it out, also. Vince has the killer smile, Turtle drives and looks at girls, E is quieter and Drama is all over the place. Just going along for the ride through Tinseltown and enjoying every minute.

Copyright 2015 Marie Asner