Jon Favreau’s 2001 directorial debut Made belongs to a very specific niche of early 2000s independent cinema. With the massive success of Swingers five years earlier, expectations from distributors and viewers alike were set to a completely different level: a Swingers 2, featuring even more rapid-fire Vince Vaughn and hyper-specific Los Angeles slang. What Favreau delivered was almost an anti-buddy comedy, a cringy, stressful, and utterly hilarious experience of two lowly henchmen attempting to act like big-time mobsters in New York City.
Made is a prime example of the collaboration between Favreau and Vaughn before both became mega-stars, getting absorbed by massive studio franchises. It is a slightly crude, occasionally infuriating, but ultimately hilarious slice-of-life comedy about friendship and the unwillingness of one half of it to grow up.
The Film
Made is a relatively simple story. Bobby (Jon Favreau), an amateurish boxer and lowly enforcer for the local Los Angeles crime boss Max (Peter Falk), is attempting to go straight, or at least earn enough money to support his girlfriend, a stripper (Famke Janssen) and her young daughter. The reluctant tough guys are not really suited for their line of work, and Bobby is a conscientious, somewhat squeamish individual who has trouble even intimidating low-level hoods.
Max arranges for him to fly to New York and represent him at a crucial business meeting with a powerful East Coast syndicate chief, Ruiz (Sean Combs, credited as P. Diddy), but insists on him bringing along his childhood friend, Ricky (Vince Vaughn). Ricky is a loud, insecure braggart who thinks he has graduated from mob movie marathons to being a real-life thug. He terrorizes flight attendants on the way, wastes hundreds of dollars as tips with money that is not his, demands stretch-limousines and ceaselessly yells at cellphones about how “made” they are.
Things only get worse when they land in Manhattan. They are assigned a huge bodyguard named Horatio (Nonso Anozie) and put into a luxury hotel, but Ricky’s verbal diarrhea keeps bothering the serious Ruiz’s icy assistant, Jimmy (Vincent Pastore). While Ricky has fun clubbing and insulting dangerous people, Bobby is forced to deal with the logistics of the meeting.
What makes Made so watchable, as compared to Swingers, is the dynamic between the two leads. In the earlier film, Vaughn’s character Trent was always the hype man, a self-confident but ultimately sincere individual who cared for his best friend. In Made , Ricky seems despondent and angry, dragging Bobby into a pit of misery. While the dynamic is hilarious, it makes the viewer root for Bobby’s discomfort. Favreau is perfect in his role as an agitated straight man, and Vaughn is at his absolute best, delivering a tremendously energetic but grating performance.
Other notable performances include Falk’s solid turn as a mob boss without resorting to clichéd caricature. Combs is surprisingly restrained and generally funny as the crime lord who finds these two L.A. hicks irritating, and Pastore effectively parodies his Sopranos image, threatening Ricky to carve out his tongue with a switchblade every other sentence.
4K Video & Audio Quality
The 4K transfer expertly captures the early-2000s look of the film, shot on 35 mm film. It does not attempt to mimic the look of a digital negative, retaining all of the movie’s natural film grain.
The color grading is generally spectacular, with the early 2000s division between the warm colors of Los Angeles and the cold urban look of New York City. The ubiquitous strip-club neon, boxing-gym lights, and the dusty atmosphere of L.A. are perfectly rendered in the early scenes. When the characters arrive at Manhattan, the image becomes darker, more severe, with black clothes and the ability to see through shadows showcasing the excellent black levels and contrast. A massive amount of shadow detail is retained in the club scenes, which looks absolutely phenomenal compared to the DVDs and Blu-rays of the early 2000s.
The audio design is equally impressive. Dialogue is at the forefront, with the center channel doing most of the talking. However, it rarely needs a boosting function as the on-screen performers are consistently easy to hear. The surround channels provide an adequate but effective sense of environment during the club scenes and the city visuals, and Lyle Workman’s score sounds fantastic in this remaster.
The Special Features
The 4K release contains a wealth of special features, which give an interesting insight into the early 2000s independent film-making.
Audio Commentary with Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn
This is a must-listen for anyone who appreciates the making-of documentary or even a good laugh. Recorded shortly after the film’s release, Favreau and Vaughn sound as if they are right back on set, minus the extreme animosity. They discuss the challenges of financing an independent film after the success of Swingers and the difficulties of a low-budget directorial debut. Favreau talks about the improvisational nature of many of Vaughn’s lines, and the two discuss the challenges and advantages of shooting on a tight schedule. It is an amusing listen, which also provides valuable insight into the era.
Getting It Made
This featurette recaps the production, with Favreau talking about the origins of the script and the decision to cast Vaughn, he wanted to reverse the dynamic of him and Favreau playing best friends in Swingers . The cast and crew discuss the challenges of independent film-making, such as getting permits in New York, and the shoot itself, which was notoriously hectic.
The Creative Process
A shorter featurette, which dives into the rehearsal period and the improvisational nature of many of the performances. Favreau discusses his philosophy as a director, which prioritized a loose atmosphere in which actors could experiment. There are also behind-the-scenes glimpses of Favreau, Vaughn, and Vincent Pastore rehearsing.
Making the Music of Made
Music plays an important role in the film, from the early 1970s-style jazz of the New York scenes, juxtaposed with the late 1990s hip-hop of L.A. This featurette discusses how Lyle Workman crafted the score, which was further informed by the improvisational nature of the performances and the juxtaposition of old-fashioned and modern themes in the film.
Deleted and Alternate Scenes
A collection of deleted and alternate takes, which mostly stem from the middle section of the film. The New York scenes are infamous for being particularly unfocused when viewed out-of-context, as the first half is a steady build-up towards the rendezvous. A few of the alternates were clearly pushed too far by Vaughn, who kept insisting on more improvisation, and were cut for the final release.
Outtakes
A traditional blooper reel, which showcases the cast breaking character. With such a large amount of improvisation and Vaughn’s notoriously difficult personality, Favreau, Vincent Pastore, and Sean Combs get plenty of opportunities to laugh at their expense.
35mm Teaser & Theatrical Trailers
The inclusion of the 35mm teaser and theatrical trailers, showcasing how Artisan Entertainment marketed the film to the public in 2001, is a nice touch.
Final Thoughts
Favreau’s directorial debut Made refuses to grant the audience the same sentimental release as Swingers. But when you look back at both films side by side, you can see a young voice emerging. One that refuses to play it safe, a really wild start for the man who ushered in films like Elf and The Mandalorian and Grogu. It defies expectations and has an undeniable punk rock energy instead of Rat Pack cool. The new 4K release is a joy to experience, both for the natural 35mm film look and the special features.
Made is available to own today from Lionsgate Limited. You can save off the retail price when you order from their official site
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