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Buy This Item Made by Lions Gate  Available from Amazon  $9.98  on 9-19-2008     Progressing beyond their indie hit <I>Swingers</I>, Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughan return with <I>Made</I>, playing (respectively) Bobby and Ricky, long-time pals in Los Angeles. Failing as amateur boxers, they're recruited by their mob-connected boss (Peter Falk) to make what should be an easy delivery to an East Coast kingpin named Ruiz (Sean "P. Diddy" Combs). By the time they reach New York, Bobby's no-nonsense approach has been bulldozed by Ricky's hopelessly false bravado, which he's blithely absorbed from too many mobster movies. While Ricky invites disaster with reckless ambition, Bobby just wants a happier, legitimate future for his stripper girlfriend (Famke Janssen) and her neglected young daughter. <p> <I>Made</I> is an urban comedy that's sharper than its popular predecessor if not quite as appealing. Favreau and Vaughn make a hilarious odd couple of the underworld, and Vaughan's bullish performance--even as it grows redundant and deliberately irritating--is a raucous blend of stupidity and baseless braggadocio. Even more surprising is Combs, playing a thinly veiled variant of himself and providing some of the film's funniest, most authentic confrontations. As Favreau mines danger, humor, and pathos from carefully modulated scenes, the movie gains unexpected depth that sustains it through lulls of inspiration. And while Sam Rockwell, Bud Cort, and others pop in to spin gold in walk-on roles, <I>Made</I> continues to work its subtle charms, even with a tacked-on happy ending that arguably doesn't belong. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I> Reader Reviews In 1996, Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn made an unforgettable duo as swinging bachelors Mike and Trent in the indie comedy smash "Swingers." Five years later, they reteamed for "Made," another film written by Favreau and starring the dynamite duo. This time, Favreau is also behind the camera, directing his first feature film. Do Favreau and Vaughn rise to the occasion again? The answer, happily, is a resounding yes. "Made" is a sharply written, nicely acted comedy with plenty of laughs. While the film is different than "Swingers" in many ways, it does share one important trait with the earlier film: Favreau again plays the more soft-spoken, grounded of the two, while Vaughn is the cockier, more outgoing one. This time, though, Vaughn's character isn't "money" at all -- he has a remarkable knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and creating problems out of the most innocent situations. Favreau stars as Bobby, a noble-hearted boxer who earns extra money by escorting his stripper girlfriend Jess (Famke Janssen) to her appointments. Bobby's not cut out for the job, though, and when a customer gets too touchy-feely with Jess, Bobby delivers a beat-down. Problem is, the guy he kicked the c--- out of is a wealthy gent, and this causes some problems for Bobby's boss Max (a highly effective Peter Falk). As a result, Max "fires" him from his bodyguard role and gives him a different assignment: Fly to New York and take care of some business for him there. Bobby insists on taking along his childhood friend Ricky (Vaughn), who for all his idiocy is as loyal a friend as they come. Once in New York, they're picked up by a tough-looking limo driver (Vincent Pastore) and given some cryptic instructions that eventually lead them to crime boss Ruiz (rapper Sean Combs, a.k.a. P. Diddy, making a solid acting debut). Much of the film's tension and laughs are generated by seeing whether Ricky's foolish antics will land him and Bobby in trouble, ruin their assignment, or even get them killed. Favreau and Vaughn again demonstrate a spectacular rapport that is a treat to watch. Vaughn is particularly impressive in a tricky role that could have been disastrous if handled incorrectly. Instead, Vaughn gives an off-kilter performance that establishes the perfect tone. Speaking of tone, director Favreau does an admirable job of navigating back and forth between comedy and drama. Perhaps part of his confidence comes from knowing that he wrote the excellent script, which again shows his superb ear for dialogue. "Made" boasts a darker feel than Swingers, and credit Favreau and Vaughn for not tossing out another rehash of that earlier film. While it may not be "Swingers," "Made" is a gem in its own right and one of the best comedies of the decade.

Made Available from Amazon Price: $9.98 Updated on 9-19-2008.

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