Writer and debut director Jon Favreau admits that Made was intended as a follow-up to Swingers. But it clearly isn't a sequel. Favreau's Bobby and Vince Vaughn's Ricky couldn't be much further removed from their earlier swinging characters. This jet-black mob comedy takes them away from the Californian glitz to the back alleys of New York, where a simple test of trustworthiness is messed-up with style. The biggest problem is that Ricky is an idiot (allowing Vaughn to steal the movie) and at every turn the pair run afoul of both his stupidity and out-of-control temper. Suffering the mood swings are a galaxy of cameo stars: Famke Janssen is Bobby's lap-dancing girlfriend, an unrecognisable Peter Falk is a no-nonsense mob boss, Sean "Puffy" Combs is his exasperated NY equivalent, and Sam Rockwell is a hotel clerk with the patience of a saint. Rapid-fire dialogue, economic editing and an amazingly cool soundtrack certainly recall the best of Swingers, though Made is a far braver movie all round and confirms Favreau as a genuine Indie success story.
On the DVD: Made comes to disc in its original 1.85: 1 ratio, which shows off Favreau's penchant for hand-held camerawork to good effect; and the choice of 5.1 Dolby or DTS naturally makes the best of the rocking song compilation. There are three mini-documentaries that look like they should have been edited together. "Getting it Made" talks about working with a five million dollar budget but no other restrictions; "The Creative Process" continues the theme and leads into the backslapping of friends working together in "Making the Music of Made". Five deleted scenes with optional commentary include an alternate ending that clearly wouldn't have worked. But for the disc's best extra it's a toss up between best buddies Vaughn and Favreau proving themselves knowledgeable in their movie "Telestrator" commentary, or the 25 minutes of outtakes that make them look like amateur idiots. --Paul Tonks
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