What would you do if you woke up and found yourself in a mansion atop the Hollywood hills, living with your superstar best friend, and suddenly have access to an endless amount of money? For the last eight seasons, this is what the HBO series Entourage dealt with. For the first time, however, the boys will not be back in town. The show became an interestingly light and usually fun portrayal of celebrity as well as a rags-to-riches story about the possibilities of the American Dream. Entourage had a good run, having its final episode this past Sunday. It is now time to look back at the series after fans of the show were forced to hug it out one last time, or will this be the last time?
I can’t say that I am pleased with the series finale. Sure, it ended happy and avoided the usual Hollywood downer ending. However, the final episode felt rushed as it tied up a few big stories in 30 short minutes. Ari (Jeremy Piven) got back together with his wife, Vince is leaving to marry Sophia (Alice Eve) and the boys helped Eric (Kevin Connolly) to get Sloan (Emanuelle Chriqui) back. In a final scene after the credit sequence we see Ari get offered the biggest job of his life, CEO of a major umbrella corporation. There is material left here for more seasons and the show didn’t even to give closure to the stories of Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Drama (Kevin Dillon), but I digress.
Regardless of my issues with the finale, all of Entourage‘s spoiled brats grew into better people than those we first met in season one. Vince (Adrian Grenier) had many ups and downs, going from top grossing movie star to getting addicted to hard drugs and falling for porn star Sasha Grey. With the help of his friends Vince cleaned up and prevailed. Turtle and Drama grew up (ever so slightly) and slowly began to take responsibility for their lives. Eric remained the rock throughout the entire series. He was a sweet guy who always tried to do the right thing and kept all of the other characters in check. I will especially miss Eric’s verbal battles with Ari, another strong character.
Over the years, most of the character gave in to temptations that come with the fast and loose celebrity lifestyle. The difference is now Eric dealt with this, which is why he is such a pivotal character. Eric is the everyman that most of us would (hopefully) be if thrown into the Hollywood life, making mistakes but always striving to do good. Contrary to his friends, it is Eric that has a moral conscience, truly regretting all of his mistakes instead of laughing them off like the others do. The final season saw Eric giving up his agency in LA to live in New York to help his wife raise their child after she decided to move away. It would be difficult to imagine Turtle, Drama or Vince doing that.
The same can be said about Ari, who is a verbally abusive talent super-agent that truly tries to do good. Over the years we were able to peel back some layers of Ari’s life, seeing how much he loves his family and that his dominating, arrogant presence has less to do with his ego and more to do with his difficulty to express how he really feels (i.e. his appreciation for his family and for his die-hard assistant turned agent Lloyd). In fact, several times we’ve seen a very broken Ari when his work drastically affects his family. Like Eric, Ari is also a moral man (remember his great rant to Adam Davies about business ethics), though he often hides behind a tough-guy mask that usually gets him in trouble. Surrounded by beautiful celebrities, Ari never cheated on his wife. When she left him for Bobby Flay, Ari couldn’t manage a relationship with Dana Gordon (Constance Zimmer), who was a great match, because he still loved his wife.
Looking back, I see my interest in Entourage similar to my love of movies about movies. Sometimes they can be a little self-indulgent but they also have the potential to give us a unique window into Hollywood. Of course, this window only shows us what the insiders will allow us to see. What makes Entourage different is that it took us from Hollywood and Los Angeles to New York City, Columbia (for their filming of Medellien), Cannes (for the Cannes Film Festival) and Park City, Utah (for the Sundance Film Festival) as well as on to numerous studios and films sets the offered great cameos.
In addition, the show for me is less about hedonism (as the LA Times suggests) than it is about dealing with how people would handle fame, money, and the Hollywood life if put in that position. To the casual viewer it may appear that Vince – the movie star – is the main character, however, that really isn’t the case. Vince is simply the reason his friends had stayed in LA (since he bailed each of them out of numerous occasions) and the catalyst for the show. However, Eric and Ari are the characters that drew me and many others to the show.
Entourage, on its surface, was about a few guys who had a bunch of money fall into their lap and indulged in “the good life.” However, for those viewers who chose to read a little deeper, it wasn’t that simple. The two (arguably) main characters were not hedonists; they were two men who fought hard to not become the typical amoral Hollywood sleaze. Their story, more than anything, represents the American Dream. Hollywood itself was built from outsiders who came from nothing, moved West, and made something of their life. The boys from Entourage had a similar journey, coming from humble beginnings in Queens, moving to Hollywood following the lead of their successful friend Vince. Both Eric and Turtle, who began as freeloaders, grew into successful businessmen who could stand on their own two feet.
The boys from Queens came from nothing and collectively accomplished a great deal, though each in their own unique way. According to The Hollywood Reporter, show creator Doug Ellin will begin writing a script for a film version of Entourage in the next six months. Hopefully this will make series fans happier than the uncomfortably rushed finale. Until then, Entourage regulars will have to spend their Sunday nights hugging it out with back episodes on DVD and Blu-ray.
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