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Quint Interviews Jon Favreau about acting, SWINGERS and MADE!!!
Hey Folks, Harry here... Right now the exact sort of intelligent funny as hell entertainment that most of you have been griping about not getting from Hollywood... Well it's in theaters, unfortunately, not theaters everywhere, but it is expanding this week into many many many more markets. It doesn't have the advertising push of say... PLANET OF THE APES.... and it doesn't have a gazillion dollar budget, but it is dead on fantastic and you won't felt like you've seen the story before. When we find films like MADE and HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, we like to give them special treatment... Make sure they get equal time in front of your eyes, because... well, they're better than the other films out there in a theater near you, and you might not be convinced to give them a chance. CHECK THEM OUT!!! Here's another in Quint's fantastic series of interviews that he's done for AICN, this one... this one's pretty damn fine... Oh, and just a bit of cool trivia for you folks, but Jon Favreau has recently finished his guest spot on the pilot of the AICN... oh wait, I'm not supposed to talk about that. Eeeek.
Ahoy there, squirts. 'Tis I, everybody's favorite trusty
neighborhood seaman, Quint, here to let you fine folks get a peek into the
mind of one of the coolest filmmakers around these days, Mr. Jon Favreau.
Most everybody knows him from Swingers, which he starred in alongside Vince
Vaughn and also wrote, but you might also recognize him from such films as
Very Bad Things, The Replacements and Rudy.
I met Jon at the MADE screening that Harry set up here in Austin
and he was really cool to me and all of his other fans. Down to earth and
just happy to be doing what he's doing. The movie itself? Well, it kicks a
lot of ass. Really funny, really entertaining and even touching. How about
that, huh? Any fan of Swingers will like MADE.
But you didn't come here to read me talk about MADE, you came here
to read Jon Favreau talk about MADE. So, without any further adieu, here's
the man himself. Enjoy and I'll see you on the other end, squirts!
QUINT: WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO GET INTO THE BUSINESS? WHAT MADE YOU
WANT TO ENTERTAIN FOR A LIVING?
JON FAVREAU: Oh. I always liked doing plays and stuff, but I
didn't start acting professionally or try to act professionally 'til I was
22 when I moved to Chicago. I had seen people doin' improv, like Chris
Farley and Mike Myers and stuff, they were all doin' improv in Chicago. I
was passing through town, I was going cross country... I was going cross
country on a motorcycle back in '88, I guess it was. I stopped there and
when I was visiting, my friend was doing improv, and when I visited him in
Chicago I saw all these people doin' it. The bug really bit me at that
point. I wanted to give it a shot.
Q: AWESOME. YOU JOINED A COMEDY TROUPE IN CHICAGO AT THAT POINT,
RIGHT?
JF: Yeah. Improvalympics was the name of this thing under a guy
named Del Close, who passed away recently. He was a big guru to all the
Chicago people I looked up to, like Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi and that
whole crowd... Bill Murray.
Q: AND YOU LEARNED UNDER THIS GUY?
JF: Yeah and I ended up teaching under him actually.
Q: THAT'S REALLY COOL. WAS THE DRAW IN THE COMEDY ITSELF, OR THAT
YOU GOT TO PERFORM FOR PEOPLE?
JF: I liked performing, but I like making people laugh the most.
Q: WHAT DID YOU LIKE THE MOST, THE WRITING OR THE PERFORMING?
JF: I started off sorta more as a performer. Then you learn how to
write in order to give yourself material to do for sketch comedy stuff, so
initially the writing definitely came second.
Q: FIRST FILM GIG YOU GOT WAS RUDY, RIGHT?
JF: Yeeeeaaaahhhh. That was the first real gig. I had gotten
smaller stuff, like rrrreeeeaaallly small stuff. I had gotten, like, one
scene in a movie called Folks!, which was just God awful. It was a movie
with Tom Selleck and they they needed somebody who could come in and
improvise just a little walk on part because they needed to get Tom
Selleck's luggage across the set when he was leaving his house. His hand had
gotten broken in the scene and the guy who played the doorman had already
left Chicago. He was on Cybil... I think... the one where he was, like,
painting the ceiling and painting the... whatever it was... some dude.
So, Tom Selleck couldn't carry the bags, so they hired me the day
before. I came on and they said, "There's no lines written, you gotta just
make some stuff up." I actually got a couple of little laughs. For me, it
was the biggest gig in the world, though. My dad carried that video tape
around for a long time, showing people that clip all cued up. Very proud of
me.
But Rudy was really my first big break where I got to play a major
supporting role in a film.
Q: WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO BEING "IN THE SHIT," ON A BIG BUDGET
MOVIE SET, IN THE SPOTLIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME ON RUDY?
JF: It was great! I loved it. It was probably my best experience,
my favorite experience on a film. It was so great, such a great all around
experience. David Anspaugh is probably the best director I've ever worked
with still. He gave me a break, he took a shot. Givin' an unknown guy
without any experience a chance to play, like, a starring role in the film.
I met Vince (Vaughn) on that movie. It turned out to be a really cool,
really magical film that's starting to hang in there as a favorite. It's
becoming a classic, a great first experience.
Q: I SAW IT IN HIGH SCHOOL, THEY PLAYED IT FOR THE CLASS.
JF: Were you a football player or somethin'?
Q: NO, NO. IT WAS ENGLISH CLASS. IT WAS A MOVIE THE TEACHER LOVED
AND WE HAD SOME FREE TIME.
JF: Yeah? Oh, good. I think it's really nice. It's really nice to
have a positive message. I think that's something that I really try to do in
everything I've written. I understood how important it is and how much you
can influence lives with a film. Although I don't blame movies for things
like Columbine or I don't blame video games for that. I don't think it's
that easy, but I do think you are putting something out there into the
universe and it's going to affect people and I think that if you can do good
with it, if you can make some sort of positive effect happen, I think it's
good karma for the filmmakers. It's really good to have a positive, hopeful
message at the end of a film. MADE has that, SWINGERS has that.
Q: YOU SAID YOU MET VINCE ON RUDY. DID YOU GUYS HIT IT OFF
IMMEDIATELY?
JF: Actually, I was always a little weary of him. He always wanted
to go out to the bars and go drinkin'. He loved to go out and have a good
time. We just made each other laughed a lot. I was more focused on doing my
job in the movie. He had less to do in the film, so he was just more passing
the time. When I moved to LA after Rudy, we ended up hanging out a lot. He
was the only person I knew out here.
Q: WHEN YOU WRITE THE TWO OF YOU IN YOUR FILMS... IT SOUNDS LIKE
YOU'RE PULLING FROM THAT REAL LIFE STUFF RIGHT THERE.
JF: Yes, yeah. Certainly Swingers was based on that experience.
Q: SWINGERS WAS YOUR FIRST SCREENPLAY THAT WAS PRODUCED, RIGHT?
JF: Yeah.
Q: HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?
JF: Well, first I just wrote the script, sort of as an experiment,
and then I showed it to some of my friends. I showed it to Ron Livingston
(SEAMAN SIDENOTE: Ron's an awesome character actor who had a bit part in
Swingers... you might know him from his lead role in Office Space) first. He
loved it. Then I showed it to my other friends, like Vince, then eventually
showed it to my agent.
My agent sent it out and people were actually interested in buying
the script and making it, but they wanted to change a lot of stuff. So, I
pulled together a staged reading with all the actors so that they could see
that the material could work without changing a lot of the things that I
thought were on the page that were good, that I knew would be funny in the
movie, like Trent's dialogue... There were just a lot of things that come
off a little rougher on the page than they did in the film. And I wanted to
give my friends a good shot at being in the movie if they bought it and made
it.
But after that reading, that first reading we did went so well
that my agent encouraged me to not sell the script, to try to set it up
myself. So, for the next two years we were doing, like, table reads for
producers and for financiers, investors. We just got better and better at
the script, but no money was coming through.
Then eventually Doug Liman, who ended up directing it, was a
friend of mine through one of our producers. He had some money available to
him, so he sorta came up with the idea of shooting it on the cheap as we
did. So, for $200,000-$250,000, we ended up shooting the movie sort of film
school style.
Q: I RECENTLY INTERVIEWED LUIS GUZMAN AND...
JF: Yeah, I just worked with him.
Q: REALLY? ON WHAT?
JF: We just did these IFC little... I don't know what you call
'em... They're like a little series of little shorts, promotional clips for
IFC. Like, they had the one with this little girl director. Well, this one
was about the independent film stuntman. He crashes the set where me and
Luis are doing a... I'm directing him in this sorta Mob movie. He shows up
and tries to be in the movie. That was our little skit.
Q: AWESOME. IN OUR INTERVIEW, I BROUGHT UP...
JF: I read your interview.
Q: WAIT A MINUTE... YOU WEREN'T THE GUY IN TALKBACK THAT CALLED ME
A PUTZ, WERE YOU?
JF: No. I don't talkback.
Q: THAT SPEAKS VERY POSITIVELY ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER! ANYWAY, IN
THE INTERVIEW I BROUGHT UP THE LOVELY MISS HEATHER GRAHAM AND THE FACT THAT
HE GOT TO DO A SCENE WITH HER IN THE NUDE. BUT I THINK YOU REALLY ONE UPPED
HIM WITH YOUR STEAMY DANCE WITH HER AT THE END OF SWINGERS.
JF: Well, we actually shot a scene where I made out with her that
never made it into the movie. We were reshooting, doing some additional
stuff after we sorta cut the movie together and that was an idea that people
involved with the film had. That it wasn't satisfying enough that I just met
her. So, we shot it and ended up not using it. It took away...
Q: WELL, YOU SHOT IT... THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING.
JF: Yeah, we shot it. Yeah, that was a fun day for me.
Q: OK. HERE WE ARE, 5 YEARS POST SWINGERS. AT THIS POINT, DO YOU
FEEL THE URGE TO TAKE A SHOTGUN TO THE NEXT PERSON WHO TELLS YOU, "YOU'RE SO
MONEY AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW IT"?
JF: Naw, it's cool. I like it, but we went out of our way to not
have any catch phrases in this film. Know what I mean? It was great for what
it was, but... You know, everybody says that Clint Eastwood will, until the
day he dies, hear "Go ahead, make my day." That's just the way people tell
you they like your work. They think they're being very clever. They don't
realize that every other person in the world does it to you.
Q: I WAS READING YOUR WEBPAGE (www.gettingitmade.com) LAST NIGHT
AND GOING THROUGH ALL THE POSTS... EVERY PAGE SEEMED TO HAVE AT LEAST 3
PEOPLE SAYING THAT TO YOU.
JF: Yeah. Well, it's funny because I think at this point they know
it, so they go, "I know everybody says this, but I'm going to say it
anyway." That's cool. I don't like it when people think they're being so
clever like they're the only ones that have figured it out.
I had somebody yell at me, out of a car window, two days ago, "Can
you blow me where the Pampers is?" That's something from PCU, which is a
little more obscure. It's really funny when they pull out some obscure lines
from some obscure movie.
Q: AT THE SCREENING HERE IN AUSTIN, VINCE WAS GETTING IT LEFT AND
RIGHT. IT WAS ONE OF THE FUNNIEST THINGS... I DIDN'T EVEN REALLY TALK TO
VINCE, BUT JUST HANGING OUT AND HEARING FROM ACROSS THE ROOM SOME DRUNK UT
STUDENT BLURT OUT, "Heyyyyy, man.... Yer soooooo moooneeeey."
JF: Yeah, he gets it bad. And when we go to Vegas forget it.
Q: YOU ACTED A LOT AFTER SWINGERS. YOU GOT SOME PRETTY BIG GIGS,
LIKE DEEP IMPACT AND THE REPLACEMENTS...
JF: I had big gigs with little parts, you know? Those were always
rough, though. They always made me want to act in or write another Indie. I
wrote MADE when I was in Baltimore doing The Replacements. I was in Hell.
Trapped in Baltimore with nothing to do for 3 months. I got to meet Faizon
Love, who I wrote a part for... she inspired me to write this movie. And I
got to shoot the Sopranos while I was working out there.
Deep Impact, that was the shortest shoot. It was in LA, so it
wasn't like I was stuck out of town. It was cool to learn how to do the
wirework and jump around in the astronaut suit. That's the fun part of
acting, you get to live out these fantasies.
Q: AFTER SWINGERS DID YOU DECIDE YOU WANTED TO ACT MORE AND WRITE
LESS, OR WAS THAT JUST HOW THINGS CAME ABOUT?
JF: I was an actor before Swingers. It really didn't help me as an
actor. I mean, it got me, like, Very Bad Things. I'm always getting offers
on these small movies. But on the big ones, even when the director likes me
and they want me to lead, it's very difficult to get approved by the studio.
It's not what they want. I'm not on that list, but as a writer I am and even
as a director I am.
It's weird how my career sorta grew out of Swingers as a filmmaker
and a writer more than as an actor, which was my goal at the time. Although
now, I'm very picky about what I do. It has to be something that I think
will be fun and something that's gonna be, you know, cool. It doesn't always
turn out that way.
On Replacements, that was a cool, really fun part to play, but
overall the movie came out not exactly like I would have wanted it to. Now
I'm focusing more on actually making the movies, as opposed to being in them
and leaving it up to chance how it comes out.
Q: WELL, AT LEAST IN REPLACEMENTS YOU GOT TO HAVE THAT AWESOME
SCENE WITH GENE HACKMAN, THE SHOUTING...
JF: Yeah. That was doin' a little improv with him.
Q: WHICH DO YOU ENJOY MORE: ACTING, WRITING OR DIRECTING?
JF: Acting's actually the most fun. I do like acting the best, but
I don't like... The actual act of acting and seeing your stuff onscreen is
the most fun, for sure, but it's the one that you have the least amount of
control over. It's the most frustrating in a way because you're not always
happy with what they put together.
Writing is the toughest, but you have the most control over what
you do. Directing's kinda exciting, but directing you're always feeling
like, "Man, I wish I was on to the next step." You're not really enjoying
the process... at least for me it's very stressful.
When you're writing the script, you're like, "Man, I just wish we
had our greenlight." When you have the greenlight, you're like, "Man, I wish
I was in production already." Then when you're shooting, you're like, "Man,
I just wish we had this movie in the can." When you're editing, it's like,
"Man, I just wish I could get this done!" You know? You're always postponing
it. You're never really enjoying it because you're always focused on the
next task.
Q: WHICH DO YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER AT?
JF: I'm best at acting... I think. You know, I mean skill wise.
Acting so much is about how you look and if you're right for the part, but I
like when I'm doing some funny stuff that's at the right tone and the right
level for me, that's when I think I'm at my best.
In writing, I'm still learning how to do it. I think I've got my
moments, but I think compared to other writers out there, I'm not
necessarily... I wouldn't stack myself up against the best people and all
that stuff. In writing, I think I'm good, but I think I still have a lot to
learn. Whereas with acting, I'm not really intimidated by anybody or
anything. I feel like I've been at it long enough, so I feel like I'm a pro.
Of course, directing and writing I still feel pretty new at.
Q: YOU SAID YOU STARTED WRITING MADE WHEN YOU WERE STUCK ON
REPLACEMENTS? WHAT GOT YOU GOIN' ON THAT BESIDES BOREDOM?
JF: A lot of it was Vince bein' like, "Man, you just have to write
somethin' that we can get MADE, instead of trying to get this western about
the Hasidic Jewish gunfighter off the ground." Then we tried to do something
were we developed a project for Guam Goes to the Moon for Paramount. That's
always a fiasco. You know, too many cooks, too many people's opinions.
So, the idea was just write something we could shoot cheap...
let's get it out there, let's see who wants to make it. Let's just shoot
this thing and get it done and that's what we did.
Q: DID YOU KNOW WHEN YOU WERE STARTING THAT YOU WERE GOING TO
DIRECT?
JF: Yeah. On Swingers, even though I had a lot of input and I was
a real filmmaker on that movie, it was a real partnership between Doug and
myself, but it still wasn't like being the director, like I wanted to. I
still felt like I wanted to do that. That was the goal: Direct Something.
Now, since I've done MADE, I felt like I've proven myself in that way and
now I don't feel those pressures anymore.
Q: HOW ABOUT YOU GIVE US A LITTLE RUNDOWN OF THE MOVIE?
JF: What it's about? Depends how you look at it. It could either
be a really funny mob comedy about two nerdowells who can't make it in the
boxing world and experiment in an entry level position in organized crime or
it could be characterized by some as a homoerotic exploration of male
bonding. (laughs)
Q: (LAUGHS) WOW.
JF: Depending on who you talk to. For me, I just wanted to write a
funny mob movie. Everything else just sorta comes out and you don't even
realize it.
Q: YOU CAST ONE OF MY FAVORITE COMEDIC ACTORS IN YOUR MOVIE, PETER
FALK.
JF: Is he fantastic or what?
Q: HE'S GREAT. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A FILM HE DID CALLED MURDER BY
DEATH?
JF: Yeah, of course.
Q: I JUST BOUGHT A PRINT OF THAT IN 35MM.
JF: You bought a print of it? Wow! That was one of my favorite
movies growin' up. He's so good in it. I laughed at it even before... I was
too young to really know what they were making fun of, but I love Peter
Sellers... And it had some really classic comedy stuff, like the Blind
Butler and the Deaf Maid. You know, a lot of shit like that.
Q: AND "COW ON WALL."
JF: "You forgot the articles!"
Q: "USE YOUR GODDAMN PRONOUNS!"
JF: It was really funny. You know what's so great about that
movie, too? Everybody played that movie so straight and so serious and the
production value is so good. You really felt the tension of that movie. It
was really cool. I like that film.
Q: I LITERALLY BOUGHT MY PRINT DAYS BEFORE I SAW MADE AND HAD NO
IDEA FALK WAS IN IT. WHEN I SAW HIM UP ON THAT SCREEN, I WAS LIKE, "ALL
RIGHT. HERE'S SOMEBODY ELSE WHO'S IN THE KNOW, WHO KNOWS HOW FUCKING COOL
THIS GUY IS."
JF: Yeah, he's great. What's great about him, too, is he's so
perfect for this part because you don't know whether he's this benevolent
funny character, like a Columbo type or even his much broader stuff, but
then you totally buy him when he gets a little dangerous and you don't know
where he's going. Know what I mean?
Plus, he's one of the founding fathers of independent film. He
worked with (John) Cassavetes and stuff. He's a great guy. He's my
discovery. It's one thing to have Puffy in your movie and have it be his
first movie... he's actually moving on. He's doing Monster's Ball with Billy
Bob (Thornton) now. He's really making good decisions. I'm proud of him.
But Peter Falk, there are people under a certain age that don't
even know who the hell he is. It's so great to introduce some young kids to
this guy.
Q: YEAH. HOPEFULLY THEY'LL SEE HIM IN THE MOVIE AND WANT TO SEE
SOME OF THE OTHER STUFF HE'S DONE.
JF: Yeah, no doubt.
Q: OK. YOU WERE WRITING, DIRECTING AND STARRING IN THIS FILM. WHEN
YOU CAST FAMKE JANSSEN AS YOUR STRIPPER GIRLFRIEND... COME ON NOW. YOU KNEW
WHAT YOU WERE DOING...
JF: You know, I actually wrote it for her. When we were working on
Love & Sex, I was like, "Well, what part would you love to play?" She says,
"Some low-end character. Someone low class." That was a part she hasn't
gotten to play yet. She was real good in Monument Ave., so I wrote this for
her. Me and her just get along real well. We're real close friends and we
wanted to work together after "Love & Sex."
You know, she does really well. They're always offering her films
like Men In Black 2 and X-Men and stuff. All the stuff that I'd kill to be
in, they're throwing her roles in it and all she wants to do are the types
of movies I'm always being offered, like the funny romantic comedies, cool
independent films. It was really funny to work with her. She couldn't be
cooler. But it's not like I was writin' love scenes for us. It was just a
part for me. Not a lot of fun for my character in this movie.
Q: OK, YOU'VE READ MY STUFF BEFORE. THE TIME HAS COME, FAVREAU! MY
TRADEMARK IS UPON YOU! WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DIRTY JOKE?
JF: I have to think about this... it's in a whole different part
of my head.
These two 90 year old farmers are sitting around and they've had
sex with everything on the farm and there's nothing, nothing to do. They're
sitting in a shack together and they're like, "We've screwed everything on
this farm. Everything. The sheep, the chickens, the cows, everything." Then
one guy says, "Well, how about if I screw you?"
And the other guy says, "I don't know, man. That doesn't sound
good to me." He goes, "Let's just try it. Tell ya' what. If you don't like
it, just make an animal noise and I'll stop. If you like it, sing me a song
and I'll know I can continue."
He says, "I don't know about this." The other guy goes, "Let's
just give it a shot. We've known each other for so long..." So, the one guy
bends over and the other guy proceeds to sodomize him. The guy gettin' it
goes, "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOnriver!"
You ruined my career. I did the whole interview and I was all
good, all the way through, then I hung myself with the last joke. You know
who told me that joke, actually? Rhys Ifans. Do you know who that is?
Q: OF COURSE! (SEAMAN SIDENOTE: Rhys Ifans was the hilarious
roommate to Hugh Grant in NOTTING HILL)
JF: He told me that on The Replacements. Give him a little shout
out. He could tell a joke. He was so funny. So, yes. Give him propers.
Q: BEFORE YOU GO, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT?
JF: Um... Yeah. Plug the website. (GettingItMade.Com) I'm on
there, answering posts every day. And on the Independent Film Channel,
there's a show called Dinner For Five. It's got me and, like, four people
from the indie world just having dinner. We shot it documentary style. It's
like a half an hour, it's uncensored. No commercials.
[HARRY NOTE: The other guests on Dinner For Five are Joey Lauren Adams, Peter Berg, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Kevin James! Check out his site above for more details, it looks like a winner!]
There you have it, squirts. A nice little round of scar sharin' if
I don't say so myself. I have a few more to share with you folks and a few
on the way, including a chat with one of the godfathers of film and
television music scoring and one with a master of the macabre. 'Til that
day, squirts, this is Quint pushing off, cuddling in with the little woman
and bidding you all a fine farewell and adieu.
-Quint
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In direct opposition to most celebrity interviews, which are usually bland and cliched, you really convey your love of film, and have a knack for bringing the same enthusiasm out in your subject. That makes articles like these a really fun read! I can't wait for Made to hit my little shitberg; Favreau is a real talent.
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Great interview, Quint. Favreau seems a really down to earth guy (who of course gets to be the money man with all the beautiful babies). I think he should be given more opportunities to do his own stuff, like "Made". I haven't been a fan of the "big movies" he did (Deep Impact, The Replacements) but his characters were a highlight, that's for certain.
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Oh, what an awful pun. Anyhoo, just saw made on Wed. and I really enjoyed it. There was a very interesting dynamic of male friendship that took some explaining to my little lady. It reminded me of a friendship I had in High School - a friend who would have good intentions for revenge and living, but would always play them out in ways that would be hurtful or have dire repercussions. Jon and Vince play their roles unflinchingly and there are some great comment moments (including, yes, Screech from Saved by the Bell fame). Also, catch Dinner. It was short and sweet, but really had some nice moments with the bunch.
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I saw this opening night here in toronto, and can safely tell you that this is a wonderful, funny as hell movie. I was (along with all the rest of the swingers fans) a bit worried that they couldn't get the magic back, but i was proven wrong a million times....this movie is hilarious!...although the subject matter is darker in tone than swingers, the direction and writing and acting is every bit as good as swingers....favreau is fantastic, a quiet character but so well played that i immediately believed he WAS his character....same for all the rest..vince was on the mark aswell as being completely believable.....and if anyone is worried about Puffy not being able to hold his own...relax....he has some of the allmighty funniest lines, and carries them off flawlessly...Kudos to all involved...if you haven't seen this yet GO TONIGHT..or as soon as it hits your town....it is worth the money...hahaha...it's SOOO MONEY....(couldn't resist)....Favreau...if you read this talkback....i just want to say Thanks for two of the wittiest and charming movies I've ever seen....I love how both have (at their core) a very positive message, but at the same time, are somehow realistica nd funny....WELL DONE!!!
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Made is better than a lot of CRAP out there but it is not very good. Favreau contributes nothing as an actor. He's clearly pre-occupied with directing the thing. I read an interview where he seemed proud that he neither overacted nor underacted, as if that's all that's required of a performance. This movie feels like the same scene repeated over and over again. Vince does something stupid, Favreau gives a disapproving look, etc. Furthermore, the film has some truly awful sentimental material in the last section. Doug Liman is a way better director than Favreau gives him credit for. He kept the tone of Swingers from gewtting either too silly or too serious, whereas Favreau is all over the place with this. He also does the selfish actor thing of avoiding wide shots and mainting a perpetual closeup on either him or Vince. Thus, a lot of panning, closeup to closeup. Amateurish directors always pan a lot. I get the impression that he let Christopher Doyle make a lot of the visual decisions because the film looks exactly like Chungking Express but without the carefully choreographed camera (ie. the absence of Wong Kar Wai). Favreau needs to lighten up. He's not Scorsese. For that kind of seriousness, you need some kind of insight or intelligence/vision to hold the film together. With all these AICN guys hanging out with Favreau, they're giving him a free ride ont his film. The film is filled with cliches (stripper girlfriend, the good friend/stupid friend dynamic, etc.). Isn't imagination important to good filmmaking anymore? Lastly, the film's plotting is poorly worked out and much of the film's final 3rd makes no sense (why don't the Westies have guns? Why is the Red Dragon's "fortress" so poorly protected? Why doesn't Favreau deal with any of these holes, humorously?). The absurdity of the film isn't acknowledged in Favreau's direction. He takes everything too seriously. Sorry Favs but clearly you "didn't exhale."
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Favreau has made leaps and bounds in his writing. As an old fan of Swingers (saw it twice theatrically long before people from all walks of life were saying "You're so fuckin' money!") having seen it dozens of times, I really think that Made is the better film - everything, the dialogue, the humor, the acting - and it was a really touching flick in the end. Seeing it with a packed house, it got more laughs from the audience than Swingers did, and Vince Vaughn is just off his ass. I think everyone has had a friend like Vince's character, so at least I could relate to Favreau through the flick. What I'd really like to see is Favreau playing the boisterous neurotic one and Vaughn playing the lower-key guy. Their on-screen chemistry is great, and Made was a real treat because I felt that neither of them had really ever had a performance that was as singularly enjoyable as they were in Swingers until now. Even Puff Daddy was great in Made. Everyone needs to stop bitching about this shitty summer and go see Made.
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...but I'll be DAMNED if PCU is not one of my vaforite comedies of all time. Favreau is great in that, playing the role he got, but to me there are none finer than Jeremy Piven. Also with Favreau in a fantastic movie called Very Bad Things, he shines in everything he does. I'll bet he's fuckin roudy to drink with. X-Men's an example of a movie Favreau wants to be offered? For some reason I can see Favreau making a great Superman. Shoot it as a $200,000 indie flick and have it revolve around Supes's shortcomings with dealing with a headstrong woman like Lois Lane. The limited scope would insure that you don't need to pay for expensive flying shots, and Vince could be a sarcastic Lex Luthor. It could work. Then, if the right people like it, Favreau could land the role in the big budget version that would take off (literally) where his movie left off. Damn...the studio was going to cast NICHOLAS CAGE! They're already looking for a different take on the character...DO IT!...please....
"Can you blow me where the pampers is?" still ranks as the funniest line in any movie ever, in my book. Next is "Nice nurses uniform." "These are O.R. scrubs." "Oh ARE They?"...LOL. Damn...what the hell is Jason Schwartzman up to these days? I heard he's in a band... -
To say Liman had anything to do with the tone, heart, comedy, or acting of Swingers after seeing Go and MADE next to each other is ridiculous. Liman is a cameraman. Favreau is a writer and an actor. MADE has far deeper thematic implications than Go. The humor is in the same spirit as Swingers. MADE proves that Swingers was Favreau's baby. I think Liman is quite talented, but Favreau is the horse I would bet on.
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Favreau has finally proved who really was the genius behind Swingers. I just saw MADE and was so impressed. Nice interview Quint. Jon seems humble and well adjusted. He clearly has vision as filmmaker is is a breath of fresh air in this day and age of music vid directors and film school grads sucking on Lattes at the Coffee Bean claiming to be misunderstood. And hey MagnoliaMan, before you start player hating you should pay a little more attention to the film. Peter Falk clearly explains why the Westies don't have guns when Vaughn is pleading for his take of the money. Vaughn says how he was nealry killed by Westies when Falk cuts him off, "If they were Westies, you'd be dead." Maybe this is too vague for you to understand. If so the film should be on DVD and then you can puase it and process those complicated plot holes you're not understanding.
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Jul 27, 2001 1:31:26 PM CDT
And I enjoyed the friendship between Showgirl and Seamstress.
by i wuv fanboys
Why did Famke have to be a stripper/lap-dancer? I didn't believe that for a second; it was an incredible and terrible cliche. I thought that shit went out with ID4! Why didn't Favreau just have an adorable African-American adopted son and a sassy Puerto Rician maid while he was at it? Enforcing stupid, painful stereotypes isn't any more "okay" just because there are juggies involved. He's a smart man and a great writer. I'd expect better from him in a brain-storming session than, "Oh, and- Hey! What if my girlfriend is a gorgeous stripper with a little girl! I could show how sexy yet sensitive I am, and the women will love it!" Come on. This is 2001. Don't fuck me in the ass and say you're giving me a back-rub.
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Jul 27, 2001 3:57:57 PM CDT
Made was fucking incredible. Don't hate the player, hate the ga
by cabron
Judging by his post, Fanboy Wuver has indeed experienced a real ass reaming but-I might be going out on a limb here-never fucked(or even met off the clock)a real stripper. That's how they are, dude. Stereotypical or not. Like if I were to write a piece on bitter fanboys who player hate in the talkback section. I would make him out of shape, a chronic masturbator who feels unappreciated at work and by women, and having a feeling of superiority over those who he despises, but who really are his peers. Stereotypical? Yes. But, most likely, true. Look in the mirror, IWF. Am I right? Am I?
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I'm a girl, actually. A girl. See, that's why I love fan-boys, as stated in the above User ID. Because I'm a 26 year old Mexican/White/Filipino writer *girl*. I don't hate you or the game or Jon Favreau or anybody- I just hate being trapped in a particular genre that has no love for me or for my own. I hate racist, cliche trash as well. I hate that shit accent Hank Azaria does when he's trying to act like a Latino and just makes us look like sleazy, nonsensical fools. It's not that I can't take a joke, it's that the joke has gotten so big it's become reality. It's sobering. It's gotten to a point where making a female version of "Bamboozled" would just be pointless, because practically every female role out there *is* "Bamboozled" already. That's it; that's all I'm saying. To answer your questions, yes, women do tend to hate me, no, I'm not out of shape, and yes, I do have issues with chronic masturbation.
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'You're so money' and 'Vegas, baby!' were attempts at not having catch phrases? They were just regular lines that happened to get repeated?- a lot?!? Love your stuff JF, but, come on!
AD out -
A trmor in the Force says Cabron, mainly because I've seen this individual cross posting in several unrelated TB's about the virtues of MADE, and now his/her defence here. Hmmmmmm
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Hey, any movie that has a Screech cameo is a winner in my book!
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Jul 30, 2001 11:24:03 AM CDT
What the hell is the concept of "player-hating" doing on this we
by bry-guy
And you are perfectly allowed to hate the player. You can hate the game too. I'm a guy...as in my screen name. What I love is when I'm at a bar with my girlfriend, I happen to have my arm around her, and some guy still comes up and tries to "talk" to her. Am I allowed to hate that player? Is he actually a "player" if he's putting himself in endeavors where he has zero chance for success? Never mind. Oh, and I hear that stripping is a great way to make fast money. And Jon Favreau was awesome in Rudy. I'm not a big fan of sports movies, but the non-sports parts with Jon educating Rudy in exchange for Rudy hooking him up with a girlfriend MADE the movie immensely enjoyable. "I can't say Goddamn no more." Sorry, but catch phrases are everywhere. "Show me the money!" "You can't handle the truth!" "Johnny Five is alive!" "May the force be with you!" "You are the Tomb Raider!" "There he is! Get 'em!"...That last one was a general one...and finally, "You're so fuckin' money and you don't even know it!" At least Favreau cursed in his. That gives him major credit in my bank...NUXX OUT!
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I was under the impression that he tried to convince Famke to get him a role on her movie.
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http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=10360 Is where Favreau and Cabron make an appearence. Interesting coincidence...
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