Review of Made (2001) by Steve M — 27 Dec 2006

Made.

Starring: Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn.

Director: Jon Favreau.

Two buddies and small-time crooks--one with a heart of gold and concern for just his girlfriend and her little girl (Favreau) and one with mush for brains and a mouth that just won't stop running and an ego that likewise is uncontrollable (Vaughn)--get the chance to prove themselves worthy of a place within a Los Angeles criminal syndicate. All they have to do perform a simple, two-day job in New York. Can a pair of losers who have never done anything right get by in organized crime?

"Made" is a fairly run-of-the-mill mob comedy married with a twisted sort of buddy film--in the same way that "Tommy Boy" was a buddy film. While the film has some nice, sharp dialogue, a decent story, and a nice, non-cliched (and even mildly surprising) ending, it is nearly ruined by the bottomless depths of stupidity shown by the Vaughn character. He is so dumb and so inept that it's painful to watch him make his buddy's life difficult.

It's worth seeing if you crime comedies. It's also worth seeing if you like movies that are focused on a fundamentally decent character--and they don't come much more decent than Favreau's long-suffering wanna-be boxer turned hood. It's also worth seeing for its quirky ending, which makes it worth wincing whenever Vaughn's character openshis mouth.