Back in the early '90s, a serendipitous encounter took place during the filming of an inspirational sports movie about a less than athletic, scholastically challenged Notre Dame football player named Rudy.
Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, two relatively unknown actors at the time, met on the set of “Rudy.” They shared a strong passion for movies and quickly formed a friendship that would continue to impact the face of the film industry for decades to come.
Favreau intended to continue his pursuit in motion pictures after completing “Rudy,” naturally moving to the industry’s Mecca, Los Angeles, where Vaughn had been residing since earning a spot in a Chevrolet commercial. However, once in L.A., Favreau soon found out scoring a front credit in a successful movie didn’t equate to Hollywood free rolling. He lost close to 70 pounds while spending his time out of work and out of luck.
Favreau's frustrations were shared with other out of work actor friends. Typically unemployed, they passed time in burgeoning cocktail lounges where a new swing culture was forming. The music, style and attitude were a throwback to the Rat Pack era of the '50s and '60s.
The culmination of audition rejections, lack of callbacks and L.A. misadventures led Favreau to take fate into his own hands. He decided to give screenwriting an honest go and in a mere two weeks had penned the American comedy classic “Swingers.”
“Swingers” follows the down-and-out character Mike (played by Favreau), who is still heartbroken and hung up on his ex-girlfriend. After the end of their six-year relationship, Mike moved to L.A. but found limited success in his search for anything resembling an acting career.
Luckily for Mike, his fast-talking, self-assured best buddy Trent (Vince Vaughn’s character) refuses to let Mike throw in the towel. Trent’s womanizing ways lead the way through hilarious Vegas all-nighters, miserably botched pick-up attempts in cocktail bars and L.A. industry parties all the way to Mike’s ultimate redemption in a swing-dance club.
Both actors clearly gave breakout performances in the movie — quite possibly the best of their careers. The seamless dynamic between Favreau and Vaughn is stellar. The actors’ friendship shines through all the antics and hilarious banter.
The amusing dialogue and slang of “Swingers” is so good that it managed to penetrate mainstream speak. The phrases “You’re so money,” when boosting a friend’s ego or the excited shouts of “Vegas, baby, Vegas!” while on the way to Sin City are heard on a consistent basis. Referring to a room full of attractive women as “Beautiful babies” can be heard in everyday conversation as well as a variety of television shows and other movies paying homage to the film.
Also, written into various conversation pieces throughout the movie are endearing confessions that point out any clichés or copycat alleys “Swingers” may wander down from time to time. This includes the scene when Mike, Trent and friends are sitting around a table discussing how everybody in Hollywood steals from everybody, including Quentin Tarantino. The conversation is quickly followed up by a rip-off shot from Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs.”
“Swingers” was a success on many levels. It was made independently, left in the uncompromising hands of Favreau and a small film crew. The whole thing was shot for somewhere around the $250,000 mark, although Favreau has stated that after paying out everybody involved and including soundtrack costs it ended up closer to a million dollars.
They didn’t worry about lighting or extras. Instead, they shot scenes in crowed locations in what has been compared to as an almost documentary style of shooting. The movie is a powerful example of what vision and belief in one’s art can accomplish even amidst the often greedy, self-serving environment of Hollywood. Cheers to 15 years of “Swingers.”
Reach the reporter at tebrook1@asu.edu
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