Swingers
Well, here it is. The fifth and final film (listed chronologically by release date) that have influenced me as a filmmaker. It's Doug Liman's, Swingers. All I have to say is "Money, baby!"
Starring Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau (Jon also wrote it), Swingers is an hilarious comedy about a guy named Mikey who can't get over his girlfriend of six years. Six months after their break up he's still pining over her. As an aspiring actor, he's moved to L.A. from New York to hang out with his best friend Trent (played brilliantly by Vince). Trent and the rest of Mikey's gang of "know it all" friends all try to cheer him up by getting his mind off of his ex. Trips to Vegas, cruisin' the trendy L.A. bars, Hollywood parties, and even violent Sony Playstation hockey games won't do the trick. Mikey is hopeless. It's when he finally meets the right girl at L.A.s famous Derby swing club that Mikey finds his "mojo" and forgets his Ex.
Anyone who's ever been heart broken will be able to empathize with Mikey and get into his skin. As funny as the situations are, the feelings he goes through are real (how many of you have had the pining pain and frustrated sense of anticipation waiting for someone to call?) That's what I try to capitalize on when I create wedding and biography video we produce. To take real situations and real stories and present them in a way that is bright, fun, emotional, and real.
I also love the soundtrack. This movie practically put swing dancing back on the map in the mid 90s, and the swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy should be eternally grateful. (I should point out that this was right about the time I started swing dancing and eventually joined a troupe. Just a little known fact. Dancing at the Derby every Wednesday night was a must because that's ween Voodoo Daddy played.)
Between the music, the writing, and the fun characters, this movie is money! Rent it.
The Trailer - Remixed
Here's an interesting remix of the Swingers trailer I found on YouTube. It is re-edited to portray the movie as a drama vs. a comedy. It's actually very touching. I think you may be moved by it, whether or not you've seen the movie. Check it out.
technorati tags: Swingers, The_Derby, Doug_Liman, Jon_Favreau, Vince_Vaughn, Swing_Dancing, Big_Bad_Voodoo_Daddy, Hollywood
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