Made & Swingers: The Money DVD-Video Collection: 2-Disc Double DVD Feature
Stars:
Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Patrick Van Horn, Alex Desert, and
Heather Graham
Writer:
Jon Favreau
Director:
Doug Liman
Feature
length: 96 minutes
Extras:
Trailer
Languages:
English Dolby Surround 2.0
Subtitles:
English Captions and Closed Captions and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Double Alpha Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 13
Sound:
Dolby Surround Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1996/DVD Release: 2002
Theatrical
Distributor: Miramax Films
Home
Video Distributor: Miramax Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
Writer
and Actor Jon Favreau co-produced “Swingers” with Director Doug Liman, which
became a jewel in the Miramax Films catalogue and launched careers for Vince
Vaughn who steals every scene he appears in and Patrick Van Horn as well as lead
for acting roles for Jon Favreau and added another offbeat independent feature
film role for Actress Heather Graham.
Jon Favreau would also go on to write and direct “Made,” which is
included in the Double-Disc Set distributed by Artisan and Miramax Home
Entertainment.
The
relationships between men and women and the games they play are a part of the façade
that “Swingers” evokes with pinpoint accuracy. It doesn’t matter whether
they are teenagers or twenty-something adults, the bottom line is men and women
often create more anxiety by following silly games rather than be direct to each
other. Of course this could be the human equivalent to ritualistic animal
behavior that occurs prior to mating, but I think human beings are more than
just animals even though many act like them. The idea that the men are all
aspiring actors adds another layer to the whole riff on relationships with Jon
Favreau as the unemployed comedian suffering from a broken heart after his
Queens, New York girlfriend breaks up with him after a 6 year relationship.
Vaughn
is his showboating friend who does his best to bring Favreau’s character out
of his depression. The movie throws a lot of winks and nods to other independent
successes that the filmmakers obviously appreciated like “Reservoir Dogs”
and “Boyz In The Hood.” A scene in a diner even calls to mind the 70’s
classic “Saturday Night Fever.” These are mostly nods with humor and not
meant to be taken seriously. This is a comedy after all.
The
DVD of “Swingers” included within the set is the original standard DVD
release previously available separately and not the “Miramax Collector’s
Series” version forthcoming. The image is presented in a (1.85:1) aspect
ratio. The transfer is uneven with some scenes showing a bit of visible grain
and some shimmering along the edges. The transfer looks as though it was taken
from a laserdisc, but as a bonus to Artisan Home Entertainment’s “Made:
Special Edition,” which is also included in this set, I think it is a good
value, especially if you have never seen “Swingers” before.
The
quality of Miramax Home Entertainment’s and Buena Vista Home Entertainment’s
DVD-Videos have improved greatly since the standard DVD of “Swingers” was
originally released. So I figure this is a good deal regardless because you get
two films for the price of one and if you really like “Swingers,” you can
pick up the “Collector’s Series” edition when it streets and if you are
not so hot on it, you are still ahead on the deal. An English Dolby Surround
Soundtrack coupled with English Captions and Closed Captions for the hearing
impaired are encoded on to the DVD along with Spanish Language Subtitles as
options. A full-framed (1.33:1) trailer is also included and the menus are
standard interactive still frames that are easy to navigate.
“Swingers”
is available now as a part of the “Made & Swingers: The Money DVD-Video
Collection: 2-Disc Double
DVD Feature” from Artisan and Miramax Home Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.