The Entourage movie picks up right where the series finale left off, which aired back in 2011 after eight seasons. We open on a picture perfect image of the Mediterranean. Turtle, Drama and E are on a speedboat heading towards a giant yacht filled with sexy (and topless) partiers. And Vince. Guess his marriage to that Vanity Fair writer didn’t really work out and he’s on the rebound. The foursome hasn’t really aged in the four years since we last saw them. Vince (Adrien Grenier) and Eric (Kevin Connolly) are still babyfaced despite the fact that they’re pushing 40. Of course, Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) looks significantly slimmer, but don’t think the film lets us forget that (there are LOTS of jokes about this).
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But anyway, back to the plot. Vince wants to get back on the horse so he calls his agent Ari and tells him that he not only wants to star in a new film, but wants to direct it as well. Because he’s Vince. Flash forward eight months. The film is way over budget and needs more money. Turtle is a multimillionaire because he partnered with Mark Cuban (one of many cameos) on a tequila brand. And Eric’s girl Sloan (Emmanuelle Chriqui) is pregnant. But they aren’t together anymore (so 2015, guys). I won’t really get into the main plot of the film, which involves Emily Ratajkowski playing Emily Ratajkowski and Haley Joel Osment and Billy Bob Thornton playing movie financiers from Texas. It’s all rather dull. Everyone says Emily Ratajkowski’s full name a lot, as if they were impressed they could pronounce it.
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But plot was never Entourage’s strength to begin with. There’s a moment I won’t spoil that had the entire theater in stitches for a good two minutes (you’ll know it when you see it). And the truth is that even if you didn’t watch the series, you’ll still enjoy the film. There’s something for everyone. Hot girls, hot guys, and Ari (Jeremy Piven), who is most certainly the best part of this film. And, there are the cameos. Oh, the cameos. I counted at least 40, but I’m pretty sure there were 40 more. There were those from the show (Constance Zimmer and Rex Lee), athletes (Russell Wilson, Tom Brady), and even big time celebs (Liam Neeson, Jessica Alba). And then there were those that are just plain weird (Gary Busey, Kelsey Grammer, Bob Saget). Either way, it served as a little Easter egg for both newbies and big time fans of the show. If only, there was a pop up video like bubble for every cameo.
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Entourage may be predictable and rather thin, but it has its strengths. And there’s a sense of bro-love that just doesn’t come free these days. I mean look, we’ve got four guys who genuinely like each other and aren’t fighting over a girl. And that’s a welcome sight to me.
Wiz Khalifa, Billy Bob Thornton, Shad Moss, T.I. and Tiny, Sevyn Streeter and B.o.B., Mike Tyson and Executive Producer Mark Wahlberg attended the LA premiere.
