Swingers (1996 film)

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For the sexual lifestyle, see swinging.

Swingers
Swingers Widescreen DVD
Directed by	Doug Liman
Produced by	Victor Simpkins
Written by	Jon Favreau
Starring	Jon Favreau Vince Vaughn Ron Livingston Alex Désert Patrick Van Horn Heather Graham Deena Martin
Music by	Don George Johnny Hodges Harry James
Distributed by	Miramax
Release date(s)	October 18, 1996
Running time	94 min
Language	English
Budget	$250,000
IMDb profile

Swingers is a film released in 1996 about the lives of single, unemployed actors living in Los Angeles, California. Written by Jon Favreau and directed by Doug Liman, the movie starred Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, and Heather Graham.

The characters in the film clearly idolize the swinging lifestyle of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack; in fact the number and makeup of the group of friends are a homage to the original group.

This film was rated #57 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies."

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Movie references
4 Production
5 Reception
6 Trivia
7 Soundtrack
8 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Mike has recently broken up with his long-time girlfriend and is still having trouble letting go. His friend Trent takes him on an overnight trip to Las Vegas in an attempt to get him back in the game. Trent picks up two cocktail waitresses, but Mike's obsession with his ex-girlfriend spoils the one night stand. Back in Los Angeles, Mike attends various Hollywood hot spots while his swinger friends coach him on the rules of seduction. Mike makes several awkward attempts at speaking to women, but they all end disastrously. Along the way, the group discusses movies, video games, and their floundering careers in show business. Finally Mike connects with a girl named Lorraine who appreciates his humor. The next day he rejects his ex-girlfriend's offer to get back together and makes a date with Lorraine. While discussing Mike's new situation at a diner, Trent interrupts to make a disastrous attempt at flirting with a woman nearby. As Trent tries to recover from the embarressment, Mike smiles as the tables turn.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Cast

Jon Favreau as Mike Peters. A struggling comedian from New York, Mike has recently been dumped by his long-term girlfriend. Still pining over his loss, and unfamiliar with the dating game, Mike has difficulty meeting new women.
Vince Vaughn as Trent Walker. An aspiring actor, Trent is also a loud, charismatic, and occasionally obnoxious swinger. He makes it his personal mission to teach Mike the swinging lifestyle.
Patrick Van Horn as Sue. A hot-headed swinger, Sue discusses the finer points of seduction with Trent, but is somewhat less sympathetic to Mike's problems.
Ron Livingston as Rob. Mike's friend from New York, Rob is a recent arrival to Los Angeles and even less knowledgeable about the swinging scene. He provides a sympathetic ear to Mike and considers taking a job at Disneyland to pay the rent.
Alex Désert as Charles. A swinging acquaintance of the group and another struggling actor. Charles accompanies the group while bar-hopping around Hollwyood, proclaiming each place "dead" as they leave.
Heather Graham as Lorraine. A woman that Mike meets at a bar, Lorraine has a good sense of humor and is not overly concerned about the rules of dating.

[edit] Movie references

Hollywood and show business is a significant theme in the film, and it makes many references to other movies. Trent's license plate reads "THX1138", a reference to the license plate of a hot rod in George Lucas's American Grafitti, which was itself a reference to Lucas's previous movie, THX 1138. The theme music to Jaws is used when Trent has an unpleasant conversation with a woman.

The film also emulates a number of famous sequences from popular movies. The diner scene and slow-motion credit sequence from Reservoir Dogs are emulated as the swingers discuss movies and then walk out to their cars to go bar-hopping. The long following shot through the side entrance of a club from Goodfellas is also emulated by the swingers as they enter a club through the kitchen entrance. Both movies are discussed by characters in Swingers, and a poster for Reservoir Dogs is visible as they play NHLPA 93.

[edit] Production

A still from Swingers

Favreau wrote the screenplay to Swingers in two weeks, with various friends in mind for key roles. One scene, in which Trent yells at Sue for insulting Mike, was written at Vaughn's request to make it clear that beneath Trent's swagger, he truly cared for Mike as a friend. Favreau and his friends gave reader's theater performances of the script to drum up interest and capital for the movie.

Swingers was filmed on location at several Los Angeles nightclubs, particularly in the Los Feliz neighborhood, including the Dresden Lounge and the Brown Derby. The Vegas scenes were filmed primarily in two locations, with the exterior casino shots taking place at the Stardust Resort & Casino and all the subsequent interior shots being filmed at the Fremont Hotel and Casino, farther north in downtown Vegas.

In addition to casting their friends in key roles, Favreau and Vaughn gave cameo roles to their family members. Vince Vaughn's father, Vernon Vaughn, plays the lucky gambler at the $100 minimum blackjack table, while Favreau's grandmother, Joan Favreau, is the lucky gambler at the $5 minimum blackjack table.

[edit] Reception

The film was a critical and financial success. With a total budget of about $700,000 and a worldwide theatrical gross of $6,542,637, the film was highly profitable. It served as a breakthrough for Vince Vaughn, who gained public exposure and critical acclaim for his performance in the film. In particular, he caught the eye of Steven Spielberg when a copy of the film was sent to the director so they could clear the rights for the Jaws music. Spielberg later cast Vaughn in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Vaughn and director Doug Liman also used the film to help launch successful careers in Hollywood.

The release of the film coincided with the swing revival of the 1990s. It increased interest in 1960s culture, Hollywood nightlife, and swing music. Some of the slang used in the movie became popular in the years following its release, especially the use of the word "money" as a catch-all term of approval or quality. The exclamation "Vegas, baby!" also became a common quote when referencing the city.

[edit] Trivia

At the end of the movie, Mike and Lorraine swing dance to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at the Derby. In more than one shot of this scene, the band is not playing the same part of the song as the soundtrack (most noticeably a part where the bassist is playing on film but not in the soundtrack), which is clearly a result of a mix-n-match approach to filming and editing the dance scenes.

In the scene where Sue and Trent are playing hockey on a Sega Genesis, Mike and Trent mention the removal of fights and bleeding from NHL '94. In the later scene in which they make Wayne Gretzky's head bleed, they they are playing NHLPA 93.

One of the posters in Sue's apartment depicts the Marvel Comics character Punisher. Favreau would go on to be involved with two movies involving Marvel superheros: in 2003 he played Foggy Nelson in Daredevil, and he is currently in preproduction to direct the upcoming Iron Man movie.

Favreau and Vaughn would collaborate again in 2001 for the film Made and in 2006 for the film The Break-Up. Doug Liman and Vince Vaughn would also team up again on the film Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

[edit] Soundtrack

Swingers Original Soundtrack

Swingers Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack by Various Artists
Released	October 15, 1996
Length	43:20
Label	Hollywood Records