1. his half-brother Johnny "Drama", who's a C-list star desperately trying to get work; when not working he acts as his brother's cook and trainer;
2. Turtle, who drives Vince around (Vince doesn't have a license) and takes care of the house;
and 3. "E" who acts as his manager.
The other main character is Vince's agent, Ari, who's hilariously assholic, but powerful; and the show wouldn't be the same without Ari's gay assistant Lloyd, who he endlessly abuses, but who sometimes brings out (or sees) Ari's human side.
[Drama, Turtle, Vince, E, Ari]
We follow the ups and downs of life in the industry, and it's based on a lot of real people, and they always try to shoot in actual locations, like being at Sundance, or at a U2 concert. So part of the enjoyment is this behind the scenes look.
But the real enjoyment comes from the loyalty and friendships, either between the boys who grew up together, or occasionally between the boys and Ari, and between Ari and Lloyd.
Drama is my favourite character--an insecure narcissist, who's always spouting theories on relationships, or the business, and is usually (oddly) right. Because the boys are from Queens, they always retain this core of "street" which is great fun when it comes out, such as during a bar brawl with Seth Green and his boys, or when Drama gets road rage and smashes up a Malibu townie's car with a 9 iron.
I just rewatched the first episode of season 5 and it's a great picture of the friendship aspect of the show that really drives it. Drama is on the set of his series, having poster photos taken, and he refuses to let them take pictures of the right side of his face. He thinks the weirdness of his right side is why he was rated by teen girls as creepy.
The camera flashes between 5 tough looking executives coming down to the set to talk to him, and Drama on the phone with E who's trying to find out where in Mexico Vince is:
D - E, I can't talk right now.
E - Drama it's an emergency!
D - [pauses] An emergency? Is baby bro in trouble?
E - Ya kind of.
D - [steely determination] I'm on my way.
[He leaps out of the trailer as the execs walk up.]
Main Exec - Johnny Chase.
D [extends his hand] - Mr. Chairman. Shoot me any way you want. I got to get to Mexico. [runs back to the photoshoot]
Ahhh now that's brotherly love. It's one of the most foulmouthed shows on TV, and the guys are constantly insulting each other (as boys are wont to do), and yet... heartwarming. I've watched all of Sex and the City, and I enjoyed it, but for some reason I get more enjoyment out of a bunch of boys running around Hollywood trying to get laid, than I a bunch of women running around New York trying to fall in love/get laid. Maybe it's just cause the one liners are better.
[Drama doing the macarena with the girls in France, where his old show Viking Quest has always been a huge hit.]
2 comments:
So, I never liked Sex and the City... Didn't think it was funny. Would that have any bearing on whether or not I'd like this? Sounds a little like Californication (which I do like) but with more of an ensemble cast and less of the bleak plotting... Hmm. Maybe I'll investigate whether or not this can be checked out of the library...
I honestly don't know if you'd like it or not. It's probably more realistic than Sex and the City -- in the sense that the series spun off from being a somewhat realistic look at single women in New York, into a big fantasy of fashion and glam. While entourage continues to be based on the writers', actors' and producers' experiences in Hollywood.
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