Set in Hollywood, the series Entourage premiered on HBO in 2004 and concluded after eight seasons in 2011.

It is a modern American comedy-drama, largely conceived and written by the director Doug Ellin. The series chronicles the acting career of a young charismatic actor, Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) who becomes an A-list movie star and takes his childhood friends from Queens, in New York City, along for the ride. The series was loosely based on Mark Wahlberg’s experiences as an up-and-coming movie star and he co-produced both the series and the feature. He also appears in a particularly off-beat cameo moment in the film when he turns up with a motley crew (are they the real-life members of his original ‘brat’ pack?) and offers to break down the locked door to an editing suite where Vince’s new film is about to be re-cut. (In a topical aside, Wahlberg makes reference to working on ‘ted 3’ and says he would happily go to ‘ted 20’ if he could!)

The feature film, Entourage, uses the original cast members and picks up where the seasons left off. It gets right in to the moment using opening credits written on billboards and buildings on well-known Hollywood landmarks. The boys are on the cusp of moving on to bigger and better things as Eric (Kevin Connolly) is now a producer, while Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) has remained their designated driver even though he has amassed a personal fortune of his own.

Vince, trying his hand as both actor and director, has been working on a film called ‘Hyde’, a reworking of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, in which Hyde is a DJ! The green light has been given by Ari (Jeremy Piven), now a powerful studio head, and he has borrowed millions from a Texan multi-millionaire, Larsen Mc Credle (Billy Bob Thornton – The Judge), to finance the film. So when he approaches the grouchy investor for more funds to complete the movie, which has gone way over budget, Larsen sends his idiot son, Travis (Haley Joel Osment – The Sixth Sense/ Alpha House), to assess the situation.

Travis has a giant dummy spit when he sees ‘Hyde’ and, for reasons known only to himself, he decides to re-edit the film to his liking, cutting out all the scenes with Vince and his brother, Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon), who’s hoping to finally hit the big time with this performance. As the tension rises, the sub-plots become more frenetic and the performances are ramped up, especially Ari’s, when he has to try and keep the film alive while attending therapy sessions to help him cope with his marriage and his demanding professional life. But the friends all support each other and it looks as if life is one big party, particularly in the opening scene, which features plenty of crass materialism, outrageous dialogue and gratuitous nudity - this is Hollywood after all! A place where, according to Eric, people “live in a world without consequences.”

As in the television series, various stars appear in cameo performances; the likes of Pharrell, Liam Neeson, Jessica Alba, Warren Buffett, Mike Tyson, Pierce Morgan, and more, make for a lot of celeb spotting. After all, the boys are back in town and everyone wants a piece of the action. If you are up for 104 minutes of sheer indulgence and a glimpse of life in the fast lane, then Entourage is a wild, if not entirely smooth, ride - fans of the series will not be disappointed.

// SALT

Previewed at Roadshow Theatrette, Pyrmont, Sydney, on 1 June 2015