MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (6/3/15): ENTOURAGE

"Hey – we're all gonna get paid well for this!" Vincent Chase (waving, Adrian Grenier), gets a hug from his former agent turned studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) as he walks with his entourage: brother Johnny "Drama" (Kevin Dillon), driver Turtle (Jerry Ferrara), manager E (Kevin Dillon) and his – What is their relationship? – friend Sloane (Emannuelle Chriqui) in a scene from writer/director Doug Ellin's ENTOURAGE. Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures © 2015 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., Ratpac-Dune Entertainment LLC., Entourage Holdings LLC and Home Box Office, Inc. 

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jeremy Piven, Jerry Ferrara, Rex Lee, Debi Mazar, Ronda Rousey, Billy Bob Thornton, Haley Joel Osment, Emannuelle Chriqui, Emily Ratajkowski, Sabina Gadecki, Karen Rhys Coiro, Perrey Reeves, Scott Mescudi ... And a ton of your favorite celebrities making cameos

WRITER(S): Doug Ellin

DIRECTOR(S): Doug Ellin

WEB SITE: http://entouragemovie.com/#/trailer

60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): Based on the TV series which ran for eight seasons on HBO and loosely based on the experiences of producer and cameo-maker Mark Wahlberg, Entourage stars Adrian Grenier as Vincent Chase. A top earning 34 year-old movie star, Vincent – or Vinny to his friends – is looking to tackle his next project. And his boys – manager E (Kevin Connolly), half brother and wanna be star actor Johnny "Drama" (Kevin Dillon) and friend/driver turned millionaire in his own right Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) – always have his back. A possible relationship with supermodel Emily Ratajkowski (playing herself) after a 9-day marriage doesn't hurt things, either. 

Now, his former agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) is returning from retirement as forced on him by his wife (Perrey Reeves) as the head of a movie studio. And guess who Ari wants for his next big blockbuster?

Vince is more than happy to do the job – on one condition: He gets to direct. And he does ... Only to run overbudget 8 months into the shoot. Now, he needs more money to finish the picture (one which he hasn't let anyone see). That's where Travis McCredle (Haley Joel Osmet) and his dad Larsen (Billy Bob Thornton) come into play. Because as the main financiers of Ari's studio's films, they are going to have to be convinced their money is being put to good use.

Throw in Turtle's potential relationship with UFC star Ronda Rousey (playing herself), E's drama with his pregnant ex (Emannuelle Chriqui) and current girlfriend Melanie (Sabina Gadecki) and Johnny living up to his nickname and the old crew is facing a new set of problems ... All of which should feel familiar to longstanding fans of the TV series.  

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Fans of the original TV series, fans of the Ari Gold character, people who like to watch "inside Hollywood" movies, Ronda Rousey fans, people who like movies with lots of cameos and plenty of topless women

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN'T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Pretty much anyone who doesn't fall into any of the categories above

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? Entourage is a harmless romp of a film that doesn't teach you anything new about Hollywood, movies or the fact we like to watch people having fun hanging out together. There are no poignant life lessons, no major revelations that you likely couldn't get by watching the series and save for a nice soundtrack, nothing that is distinct enough about it to stand out from this summer's collection of comedies. It is, however, a raucous, bawdy and fairly entertaining film that is an easy way to kill two hours with plenty of beautiful women, celebrities of all ages from all walks of life and feels like a party on screen. 

And if all you are looking for is the latter, you'll find this party pretty easy to join.

A film that doesn't look to reinvent any wheel as much ride them 'till they fall off, Entourage is a simple film when you really look at it: Five guys dealing with their own various sets of problems that have the money and means to fix them that, when they all come together as a team, come out on top. 

Entourage has it's fair share of problems, for sure: (1) The main issue as to why there is an issue getting the extra funds from the McCredles' is far fetched even by movie standards; (2) the Vincent Chase character is the least interesting in the entire bunch; (3) there are times when there are things that just feel random (the toplessness, the celebrity cameos that are just there because well, who didn't want to be part of the movie) and (4) the ending which feels abrupt as all get out when it feels like the movie is really building to a much better climax. On the other hand, watching Rousey actually act is kinda fun, the soundtrack is pretty good, the movie looks great visually and when all five guys are together on screen, the best moments of the movie happen that will show the uninitiated why so many people enjoyed watching them together on Home Box Office for many years. In short, it's fun but imperfect. You can tell the cast had a great time making the movie, even if the movie itself isn't as great as one would hope. 

It's mainly for fans only, but accessible enough where you'll laugh enough to feel placated and curious enough to possibly go back and watch the actual series with your own entourage – as long as you're all in agreement about that decision. 

OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):