Swingers (1996)

I had friends in high school that were obsessed with this movie, so my expectations were high. I would not exactly say that I was disappointed, but I am not sure why they like it so much. Swinger is the story of a group of wanna-be actors in L.A. who become regulars in the hip neo-lounge scene. When I say that I did not understand why I had heard such amazing things about this film, that is not to say that I did not enjoy it. Swingers is really funny, it is not one of the best comedies that I have ever seen, but it is pretty good. The cast of this movie is really interesting. The main character, Mike, is played by Jon Favreau, who also wrote the film. He does a terrific job of playing the struggling comedian with low self-esteem who is pining over the woman who broke his heart. Ron Livingston, of Office Space fame, is terrific in Swingers, as he is in just about everything else. His dry sarcasm is always classic. Heather Graham as a small, but significant role, a part which is a major crux of the film, and she does a really good job. This is the first movie in which we see Vince Vaughn's comedic side, as far as I know. He is not nearly as funny in this film as he is in newer movies like Old School or Wedding Crashers, but he is still hilarious, his timing is always superb. I would say the best part about Swingers is the dialogue; it is Tarantino-esque in a comedic sort of way. There are multiple classic one-liners in this film, and they come one after another. Swingers is kind of pointless and does not really go anywhere, but it is an interesting movie with a lot of really funny scenes. My wife did not watch this movie with me. I think she would have liked it had we seen it in the theaters in 1996, but like a lot of people, she does not usually enjoy watching older, period-specific comedies. This movie still has a cult following, and for that reason alone, I am glad that I saw it. I enjoyed the film, but I doubt I will ever see it again. I give Swingers 3 stars.