Justin's Rating: Ray, if someone asks you if you're a god, YOU SAY YES!!!! (I love to use that line... it works in practically any situation)
Justin's Review: Swingers (an indie cult hit) is really two movies in one. The first movie answers those deep and probing questions that women have about guys' lives: what do we think about, what are our motivations, why do we do what we do, etc. The answer to that is, we just like to hang out with buds, try to hook up with the opposite sex, and look cool. Thus, you have comedian Mike (PCU veteran Jon Favreau) and his can't-lose womanizer friend Trent (Vince Vaughn), going with a rag-tag ensemble (including another PCU guy, Alex Desert) from Hollywood party to Hollywood party. They think they're cool, even though none of them holds a respectable job, and they can only get women through acting like jerks. Betwixt incidents, they vainly attempt to hold Pulp Fiction-type conversations, but these peter out fast.

In fact, the movie creates one hip phrase that tries to replace "You're the bomb." Theirs is, "You're the money." It's cute, and it might've worked if they hadn't said it, oh, 8500 times during the movie. The film equivelant of your parents saying, "Word up, homeboy!" to you for an entire week.

The other movie revolves around Mike and his 6-year failed relationship. He's a mite bit obsessed with his former girlfriend, and mopes around during the movie telling everyone who'll listen about his lovelorn state. This is more believable, my friends, because we've all been there and done exactly that. There's some good social commentary on Mike's whole experience, and fortunately he discovers a new love interest. This is where, after 1 hour and 20 minutes, the title "Swingers" comes into effect. I won't ruin it for you.

It's not a bad film, but there's some serious Quentin Tarantino worship happening here. The conversations are below par (on the QT scale), and the only thing that saves them is a few tongue in cheek references to Reservoir Dogs. They acknowledge that they're stealing someone else's ideas in order to be cool, but that really doesn't make it cool.

For me, the highlight of Swingers came when Mike was talking on the phone (ack, there were some agonizing empathic scenes where I was wincing like crazy) to various people. It's really where the core of the film lives, and it's a shame there weren't more scenes like it.

One final note: I know I'm obsessed with PCU and all, but Jon Favreau's look and performance in this movie eerily echoes Jeremy Piven at times. Am I the only one who sees this conspiracy?

PoolMan's Rating: I could make a joke about so-and-so out of so-and-so "babies" here, but I'm not that shallow!
PoolMan's Review: I'll keep this brief (for once). I really liked this movie, although it's tough to put my finger on why. I think it's probably because every single scenario that came up in the movie, I've been in. If you turned the down the testosterone on Trent and the spinelessness on Mike, you have my friend Kyle and I. And the similarities between this movie and life (for me) were so downright wierd I just had to laugh it off for fear of going insane. I've been that I'm-not-over-my-ex guy before, and I've had the nosey pals leaning over my shoulder to get back in the game, and it's not easy.

This movie just positively oozes cool, though. I LOVE Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, period. I love swing dancing, and parties, and all that good stuff. I've been one of the rowdies in front of NHL 95 before, and I loved it. But so help me, if I heard the word "baby" one more time (closely followed by "money"), I was going to scream. But the basic truth? Thumbs way up. Catch it, live it, love it. Swing baby. Yeah.

Clare's Rating: {play along at home: insert your own "money", "beautiful baby" or "bear vs. bunny" metaphor here}
Clare's Review:I'm just going to come right out and say this so it's been said and I can move on. I love this movie. I guess giving away the ending at the beginning isn't really any kind of indication of good writing, but when overtaken by greatness, my skills just won't pay the bills. I saw Swingers for the first time before its dialogue became part of the national lexicon, before the whole swing dancing thing got out of hand and people in Sheboygan started wearing zoot suits and long assed wallet chains. I got the privilege of seeing it as just a movie. If you strip away all the crap that other people have attached to it, it's clear that Swingers is just (but not simply) a really well written, tremendously funny, good hearted little movie that is so convinced of its own coolness that it won't be denied. Sure, I'll admit that their continuity advisor must have been smoking a lot of crack but the boom mikes a-go-go and sudden disappearing props everywhere can actually make for a pretty interesting drinking game. Fortunately, the acting, writing, directing, and over all mirth that oozes from this flick more than makes up for its flurry of technical errors.

Swingers is basically about Mike (Jon Favreau - see my "Why I Love Jon Favreau and You Should Too" feature) and how well and/or poorly he's dealing with being suddenly single in a new and horrifically shallow town, played here convincingly by Los Angeles. He's been through a nasty break up and has lost his sense of how awesome he is. Thankfully (kind of) he's got a bunch of friends who constantly, and as coolly as they can, remind him that if he could just steady himself and regain his sense of greatness he'd have ladies lined up around the block. I think pretty much anyone who's ever been dumped or ever been unsure of themselves can relate to Mike's dilemma. Throw on top of this some really honest and hilarious exchanges between practically everyone in every scene, a bunch of unabashedly worshipful classic movie rip offs and a cast packed to the rafters with talent and you've got yourself one hell of an evening. Plus, the soundtrack is unsurpassed.

The thing I found most interesting about Swingers is that it's the first movie I can remember seeing that acknowledges and puts to use the fact that specific groups of friends have vernaculars that only they use. Because it's a movie that more than 4 people saw, that specific way of talking became something that lots and lots of groups of friends copied. But again, before the hoopla and the dancing and the hey, hey, hey really took hold, I found it pretty impressive that someone (specifically the writer - Mr. Jon Favreau ladies and gentleman) had the cajones to create a specific way for Mike's group of guy friends to talk. This made the dialogue feel genuine as opposed to seeming like just a device to propel the story. For a first time screenwriter, that's an impressive feat. Plus, it made me more aware of all the tons of specific phrases and sounds my friends and I use as short hand with one another which makes Swingers cooler than your mom. Go see it.

Recommended for:
The PCU generation
Women smoking cigars
Swing music fans
People who know the ache of love lost

The Movie Store!
Swingers: Movie [VHS]
Swingers: Movie [DVD]
Swingers: Soundtrack [CD]
Swingers: A Screenplay and the Swingers Rules by Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn: Book
Swingers: The Poster [1]
Swingers: The Poster [2]
Swingers: The Poster [3]

Intermission!
For fellow movie afficionados, you can spot sixteen references to other movies, mainly mob-related films (Godfather, Goodfellas). Also, this has to be the buggiest film I've ever seen, since there are so many continuity errors that it will make nitpickers happy for a week or two. PoolMan: The guys playing the hockey game have no idea how it works. Skate hard up the left wing, (especially with a right handed player) and just fire from the center of the faceoff circle, and you'll always score in that game, no matter who the goalie is! What's all this snaking around garbage?

Groovy Quotes:

Trent: Look at this, OK? I want you to remeber this face. This is the guy behind the guy behind the guy.

[Playing a hockey video game.]
Trent: I wish they still had fights in this game so I could bitch-slap Wayne.
Mike: What? They don't have fighting anymore?
Trent: Doesn't that suck?
Mike: Why'd they get rid of the fighting? It was the best part of the old version.
Sue: I think kids were hittin' each other or somethin', man.
Trent: Yeah but you know what, Mike? You can make their heads bleed in this one.
Mike: Make somebody's head bleed.
Sue: No man, were in the playoffs.

Trent: There's nothing wrong with letting the ladies know that you're money and you wanna party.

Trent: I don't want you to be like the guy in the PG-13 movie who everyone's *really* pulling for! I want you to be like the guy in the rated R movie.

If you liked this movie, try these:
Reservoir Dogs
The Player
Mallrats
Chasing Amy

Soundtrack Review: PoolMan - Wuhauwhwhhuwhwawaawwuh... I loved the music pouring out of this movie (with the exception of the Bee Gee's slaughter near the midpoint... that was utter crap). I spent the whole movie humming all this classic tunes, boppin' to BBVD... it was sensational. Highly recommended you pick up the soundtrack, and also maybe the BBVD self-titled CD.