Film & Book Reviews by Ashley S.

Swingers has been on my list for a minute. This is a comedy film that stars Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, and Heather Graham. There are other familiar faces, but originally I wanted to check this out because Vince Vaughn is one of my favorites and he was so young here! When I looked into it more, I realized that Jon Favreau wrote and took part in the production of this film. I did not recognize who he was at first but this guy is a legend.

The film is centered around Jon Favreau’s character, Mike Peters, who is a struggling comedian and actor that is simply trying to make it in LA. He’s originally from New York and like we all know – changing coasts isn’t always as fruitful as we would hope. Mike has many friends, one of them being, Trent, who is played by Vince Vaughn. Ultimately, Mike struggles to gain momentum within his career, while he is simultaneously attempting to move on from his break up with his ex-girlfriend in NYC. His character is quite warm and gentle but he is almost painfully loyal to the notion that they may get together – Yet she nevers comes around. The guys take him around town and bring him to the hottest scenes where he can TRY to get his rocks off, but nothing seems to pan out. Mike Peters is awkward and funny, but in a way that makes you want to sit him down and tell him that he needs to wake the hell up or he’s never going to get out of this. Even that doesn’t work.

Mike’s friends are hilarious and they are constantly trying to amp him up to get him going and have the courage to get with any girl that might get his mind off things. This scene made me laugh.

They are Cowering Bunnies Scene

Another aspect of the film I enjoyed was the dialogue, which I think made up most of the points. There was always conversation — bro talk. As the viewer, it made you feel like you were there with the crew and you could just join in the conversation. When Mike calls a girl too soon and has a regretful night, he falls into a few day depression and his friend comes over and gives him a pep talk.

Hey, it’s been two days you should call that Nikki girl

Trent was incredibly supportive and kind to his friend, the kind of guy that you want around because he makes sure you have a good time and checks on you to make sure you’re okay. I liked his character a lot — not to mention that Vaughn is so young that it’s interesting watching him in this role. So fresh and new, like a baby. I think that he was present for the character development of Mike, never forcing him or making him “feel bad” because he didn’t do things the way that he thought he should. Trent was simply there with a plan and it was OK if Mike just needed a friend. It was also cute the way that he would call him baby all the time.

You are so money, baby

Lorraine, played by Heather Graham, makes an appearance that is quite comforting especially for Mike. She is approachable and relatable, none like the other women that he has stumbled upon the LA scene thus far. You know it’s her because she has this womanly essence that makes you want to sit with her and talk for awhile. Mike was drawn to her by her candidness and I think that’s what made it easy for him to open up and just relax. Finally, he met a girl that wasn’t trying to size him up or treat him like a weirdo.

My biggest take away was the ending — a full circle moment that gave Mike the power that he needed to move on with his life. I think that it’s often easy for us to get stuck in the past, to be afraid to let go and be apart of something new. Mike leaves NYC to LA for his future, but cannot excel because he has this invisible string that he will not cut off. When he finally accepts that energy and the universe gives him what he needed, that’s when you know that the world always comes full circle. In the end, I loved Mike. We were all so proud of him. He deserved it. We all knew he did — we were just waiting for him to get there. Patience, baby. You are so money.