Movieman Madness: Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 1): "Swingers"

Mike Peters and Trent Walker arriving in Vegas

Jon Favreau lived as an inprov comedian in Chicago; he got his first bout in show business when he landed a part in the sports/drama Rudy. This prompted him to move to LA and pursue an acting career. The bad news was that he had little success on securing any roles. The good news was meeting new friends who like him, were actors looking for work; among them was Vince Vaughn whom Favreau previously knew from Rudy. With no luck on the acting gig, Favreau turned to screenwriting and started typing away.

Making the call

The story centered on on Mike Peters (Favreau) a depressed comedian living in LA. Despite his jamboree-loving friend Trent Walker (Vince Vaughn) taking him to Vegas, cocktail parties, lounge bars and meeting other woman to cheer him up, Mike's still not over a break-up that happened six months ago.

Are we having fun yet?

Swingers wasn't meant to be autobiographical; Favreau wrote it for a good laugh but ten pages grew to twenty, then forty, and before he knew it, he had finished writing his first script. Took him only two weeks to do it. Swingers was a reflection of Favreau's life of living in Los Angeles; from Trent's bear metaphor, that final ending scene, and Mike's sad phase following a break-up, were all actual situations in Favreau's LA lifestyle. It's not what he hoped for and we see it embodied in Mike waiting on that call of opportunity. Trent may be a crazy party guy but underneath the cool exterior, he does look out for his best friend.

One of the many scenes filmed without a permit.
The car Favreau is in did belong to him.

Favreau originally was set to direct but couldn't get a studio to fund the movie for either lack of interest or requested changes that strayed too far from his script (For a visual representation click here). It was only until he met Doug Liman, a newcoming filmmaker at the time, that they were able to secure some funds. Liman would be placed as director and cinematographer and Favreau would be producer and screenwriter.

Ron Livingston (the fellow between Favreau and Vaughn) was another out-of-work actor whom Favreau met.
You might recognize him in Office Space, Band of Brothers, Tully and The Conjuring.

Despite not directing, Favreau still called the shots and develop some of his signature style seen in his later work. He made sure every scene came straight from the script but allowing some improvisation, as it was his background back in Chicago. In addition to casting himself and Vaughn in the lead roles, he had friends and family make an appearance whether in cameo or large role. The use of opening credits, the main character missing something in his life, and homages to classic work, here being Goodfellas (the long shot of the gang entering the club through the back door) Jaws (the music playing in a funny scene)and Reservoir Dogs (the group talking about Tarantino and Scorsese then in the next shot walk in slow motion like in said movie). There's even a level of authenticity in a comedy that have men trying to get laid and look cool but underneath is a guy searching for something that's not spiteful but meaningful to fill that void inside. Favreau gave the movie heart and soul. Liman gave it the skin and bone thanks to his cinematography skill and talent in the technical aspects that helps the audience feel part of the party.

Alex Désert, Ron Livingston, Vince Vaughn, Patrick Van Horn and Jon Favreau

Premiering on October 18, 1996, Swingers was modest hit at the box-office and with critics but wouldn't gain popularity until its home-video release. In an age of grunge and hip-hop, the movie helped bring in the classy and retro jazz style back on the scene again. Its success mirrored Kevin Smith's Clerks of a movie with a very low budget succeeding. Goes to show you don't need star power or Hollywood razzle-dazzle to make a movie. Swingers, was shot like a student film and continues to hold up. If you can use a camera and have a good script, then you've got it made.

Mike meeting Lorraine (Heather Graham).

The movie did its job on boosting the crew's status in Hollywood. Liman was awarded Best New Filmmaker at the MTV Movie Awards, an honor bestowed to directors like John Singleton, Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze, Sofia Coppola and Christopher Nolan (who was the last recipient before the award was discontinued). He would later go on to direct films such as The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Edge of Tomorrow. Vaughn's sardonic sense humor established his comedic chops seen in films like Old School and Wedding Crashers. His performance in Swingers even impressed Steven Spielberg who had him cast in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. As for Favreau, Swingers improved his acting career but it also opened a doorway in a new direction, one that would reunite him with an old friend and take him from LA to New York.......