Review of Swingers (1996) by Spangle — 10 Jan 2017

A funny and energetic film, Swingers is money, baby. With two 20 something guys on the look out for some babies, the film is a fast paced film loaded with great representations of male friendship. With Trent (Vince Vaughn) looking to cheer up his buddy Mikey (Jon Favreau) after the latter recently came to Los Angeles and got out of a six-year relationship, the film is one about bonding, love, and the single life of many men in their 20s. Depicting this friend group bouncing from party to bar to house to club and back again each next, Swingers is a bubbly film with money comedy that does know just how money it really is, but fortunately, that merely adds to its comedic charm.

While not uproariously funny at any point, Swingers contributes some solid jokes, largely through Vince Vaughn. With an energetic performance of an **** Vince Vaughn feels like a natural in the role of a guy who is the most popular man in the room wherever he goes. Unfortunately, he is also the saddest character. Unwilling to settle down and with a warped take on women, Trent is a man that may seem popular, but needs the parties and friends in order to not feel painfully alone. This is highlighted at the end when he assumes any girl is flirting with him and when he is drunk and hops on the diner table. He is bubbly and vivacious on the outside, but is no doubt alone and desperately seeking validation. This character is incredibly well-written and I happen to know a few people like this. They are the life of the parties and may go home some hot "baby", but are more alone than the rest of us.

As Mikey, Jon Favreau largely plays the audience surrogate into this world of debauchery and drunken fights. Heartbroken over the break-up with his girlfriend, Mikey cannot get over it and just floats with a melancholy attitude throughout the film. Favreau does a great job showing this heartbreak while also showing Mikey's ill-fated attempts to rejoin the dating scene. Feeling incredibly realistic with the neurotic and self-depreciating approach to dating again after having one's heartbroken, Favreau turns the character into a very entertaining comedic foil to the boisterous Vaughn. He also makes him incredibly sympathetic as, much like the women they meet in Vegas, you just want to give the poor guy a hug. That said, Swingers can be incredibly abrasive. The comedy is never incredibly clear and largely just comes through comedic lines or comedic representations of real life people. Every character in this film is authentic and is someone I have seen in real life, except they are dropped into the world of acting in Los Angeles. This adds some show business comedy to the film, but it is largely about some guys who are undoubtedly jerks and their attempts to try and get a woman to come home with them for the night. Thus, it will not be everybody's cup of tea and will put many people off, especially Trent.

Swingers is a pretty simple film, but it is enjoyable and easy to like if you go along with its occasionally obnoxious characters. If nothing else, it is a good portrayal of the pain one goes through after having their heart broken and the attempts to get back out there afterwards. Plus, it has a good performance in a good movie from Heather Graham, which is always a rarity. In this film, she honestly looks like a femme fatale from a noir film or a Hitchcock blonde, which makes me wish she had taken a role along those lines at some point. All the same, Swingers is a thinly plotted, but funny film with great turns from Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn.