"Swingers" was a movie that came out of nowhere in 1996 and made instant stars of its director (Doug Liman) and lead actors (Jon Favreau & Vince Vaughn). Filmed on a minuscule $200,000 budget, the story concerns a struggling Hollywood actor (Favreau) re-entering the dating scene following the collapse of a six-year relationship.
The semi-autobiographical script was written by Favreau himself. It has plenty of humour and a certain aura of 'cool' while still remaining down-to-earth and relatable.
Since Favreau wrote the screenplay with some of his friends in mind it's no surprise that the cast was composed mostly of relative unknowns. Supporting actress Heather Graham was probably the most established cast member at the time. Nevertheless, the one-two punch of Jon Favreau & Vince Vaughn in the lead roles gave the film plenty of energy and an easy-going swagger. In support, the aforementioned Heather Graham stood out, as did then unknown Ron Livingston.
The direction by Doug Liman garnered a lot of attention at the time (and rightly so). Despite the budget restrictions, he delivered a lively, attractive presentation that established him as an up-and-coming talent. Affectionate homages to "Reservoir Dogs" & "GoodFellas" are among the film's most memorable scenes.
The movie also excelled musically. The performances by swing revival band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy are a particular highlight but the movie also made good use of classic cuts by Average White Band ("Pick Up the Pieces"), Heart ("Magic Man"), Dean Martin ("You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You") & Roger Miller ("King of the Road"), among others.
Altogether, "Swingers" is a movie that far exceeded its limited resources. Funny & cool, yet still dramatically effective, it delivers more entertainment than most movies with hundred million dollar budgets.
