Number 15

“Swingers” (1996, Directed by Doug Liman)

There’s an old saying: “write what you know.” Those words changed Jon Favreau’s life. He was an out-of-work actor scraping together a living in Hollywood, missing his home back East, and trying to recover from the end of a long relationship. He had a boisterous friend named Vince Vaughn who was constantly trying to bring out his inner party animal, and a more introspective one named Ron Livingston who sat patiently and listened to his sob stories. At some point, Jon decided that was enough to start a screenplay. The rest, as they say, is history.

“Swingers” is somewhat neglected now, but its importance has actually not diminished. It was arbitrarily responsible for arousing interest in big band music, a revival which lasted only a few short months, and when the fad died most people put the film down along with it. But in truth, “Swingers’” legacy extends far beyond Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. It was an important part of the indie revival of the early 90s, where a sudden wellspring of talent began flowing from festival circuits and low-budget auteur pieces. The intensely naturalistic tone of the film was also cutting edge, making other comedies look scripted and phony by comparison. And it was extremely funny, switching nicely between punch lines and more gradual humor that develops the more times you see it. Last but not least, it began the careers of four men who would come to be key players in Hollywood: Doug Liman, Jon Favreau, Ron Livingston and Vince Vaughn. All of them went on to lucrative careers, and all of them owe it to the magic of “Swingers.”

The story is simple: Mike is an out of work actor in Los Angeles, struggling to get over the long-term girlfriend he left back East. We follow him through a series of parties and social encounters in Los Angeles—many of which he is dragged to by his loud-mouthed friend Trent—and along the way life, sex, and all manner of relationships are examined. It’s not intended as an intellectual piece, but the writing is so realistic that profound ideas surface automatically.

Because mot of the key actors are playing parts based on themselves, the performances are all effortless. Favreau’s Mike is pathetic but lovable, a hard balance to hit. Vince Vaughn steals the show as Trent, who is a blueprint for almost every successful role he’s played since. And Ron Livingston checks in with his trademark affable charm as Rob, a wise and compassionate friend whose level-headed insight will prove invaluable at a key moment. These are the actors who anchor the piece, and the fact that we never question their authenticity is central to why “Swingers” works.

“Swingers” makes an interesting philosophical point about being male, as well as gender relations. Trent represents an attitude that is very common in the modern dating world: he treats himself as a predator, and the women he desires are his prey. He isn’t misogynistic, but the opposite sex never registers as anything more than a potential trophy to him. His answer to insecurity is to bathe it in machismo, he goes into every situation guns blazing. If you’re not having fun, you just need to snap out of it. If that girl over there doesn’t like you, you’re just not coming at her strong enough. Such beliefs are very easy for men to have, since they feed on testosterone and anxiety. On the other hand, we have Mike, who is crippled by anxiety. He approaches women almost as if he’s looking for hand-outs, fears rejection to a chronic level, and constantly talks himself out of having any fun. The agony of “Swingers” is experiencing it through Mike’s shoes: when he approaches a woman, she barely notices him. Then we watch Trent swagger his way into the same situation and somehow come out the other end with a phone number. It seems impossible, like the universe is just stacked against Mike and there’s no hope. This, too, is a common feeling among men.

What’s interesting is how “Swingers” plays with these two positions, examining their virtues and vices. Like any good story, the answer is not as simple as one being right or the other wrong. By the end of the movie, Mike learns that he does need to be more confident, that Trent is right to want him to put himself out there more. We want Mike to take Trent’s advice, and we’re excited when he finally does. But the last scene keeps things from being too simple. We see Trent, hungover and disheveled, try and make a pass at a woman in a restaurant, only to be openly humiliated by misinterpreting what was going on. Mike witnesses the whole incident, and the last thing we see before the credits is Mike smiling knowingly at his friend. We have never seen Trent be rejected before, nor have we seen him appear so poorly put together, but now that Mike has found his confidence, he can see the reality right in front of him. Trent is not a god. He cannot simply have any woman he wants, and things do not always go his way. Sometimes, he gets rejected too.

But let’s not get away from the fact that “Swingers” is hilarious. Every scene is tightly wound for maximum comedic impact, and a variety of styles are successfully implemented: the slow-burn awkwardness of Mike and Trent’s Vegas double date, the gut-wrenching answering machine scene (I can’t even think about it), even the bizarre and almost surreal “bear and bunny” pep talk that Trent and Sue give Mike at the Dresden. There’s also fine moments of real drama: the parking lot confrontation where Sue pulls a gun is chillingly effective, and Rob’s rallying speech (a kind of modern St. Crispen’s Day thing, if you will) is subtle, sweet and compelling. There’s never a corny moment in “Swingers,” everything plays at just the right level. Quite an accomplishment for a first-time writer.

It’s a shame that “Swingers” feels a little lost, it doesn’t deserve to be. You don’t often get comedies—or movies in general, come to think of it—executed with this much panache. Each scene is effective and fluid, the story is satisfying but subtle, and the jokes and the drama both work. Writing what you know may not be as sexy as setting your movie on some far-off planet, but if it gets results like these, I’d recommend we all do it more often.