Having been born in 1981, by the time Swingers hit home video, I was in my teens, and to say that the Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau shenanigans on screen struck a chord with me would be an understatement. Frankly, I thought Vince Vaughn was the coolest dude on the planet, and when Made hit theaters in 2001, it was nothing short of an event. While it wasn’t a particularly big financial hit (only grossing $5 million), it became a major cult hit on home video and DVD (it had great special features), and when I worked at Blockbuster a few years later, it was one of those movies that was always rented out.
Revisiting Made twenty-five years later
While I loved Made, I must admit that I hadn’t seen it in at least twenty years, so I was enthusiastic when I heard that Lionsgate Limited was putting it out in a new 4K edition, as I’d have the chance to revisit it.
Made holds up well, telling the story of two guys who are loosely connected to the underworld. Bobby (Jon Favreau) is an amateur boxer trying to support his stripper girlfriend (Famke Janssen) and her daughter (Makenzie Vega). He’s well liked by his well-connected boss, Max (Peter Falk), but he has a problem. He’s hugely devoted to his best friend, Ricky (Vince Vaughn), who is a reckless, motormouthed wannabe gangster who can’t help but constantly get them into trouble.
Yet Bobby is able to convince Max to send him and Ricky on a mysterious job in New York City, where they are put in contact with Ruiz (Sean Combs), a big-time player with no patience for Ricky’s antics.
Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau’s chemistry still delivers
One thing I noticed while revisiting Made was how inspired it was by Elaine May’s Mikey and Nicky, an underworld drama starring John Cassavetes and this film’s own Peter Falk that has since been rediscovered. Jon Favreau also wrote and directed Made, and while it wasn’t a big hit, it was an important stepping stone, with him moving behind the camera and becoming a huge director, having directed Iron Man, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, The Mandalorian and Grogu and many more.
Made is a great underworld comedy-drama, with Favreau and Vaughn’s chemistry pitch-perfect. Clearly, it was tailored exactly to their personas, with Vaughn later parlaying his fast-talking characters from this and Swingers into a hugely successful career as a leading man in comedies like Dodgeball and Wedding Crashers.
It has a ton of great dialogue and some great supporting performances, including one from the late Vincent Pastore as Bobby and Ricky’s well-connected driver. I also forgot how effective Combs was in the film, although, due to his current infamy, his presence in the film is underplayed by the new packaging.
How does Made look on 4K?
Made was a low-budget movie, but it was well shot by Wong Kar-wai’s usual DP, Christopher Doyle, so it looks good on 4K disc.
The special features are mostly archival, including a good commentary track by Vaughn and Favreau, as well as over an hour of deleted scenes and outtakes. The only thing I wish had been added would be some new features with Vaughn and Favreau looking back twenty-five years later, but I guess both men are pretty busy these days.
I also would have loved to see an episode of Favreau’s old Dinner for Five show included, because there’s a great one with Vaughn and Falk where they talk about the film. Vaughn was always great on Dinner for Five, as he would constantly needle the other guests, making it seem almost like—at that time in his life—he wasn’t that far from the character he plays in this film.
Is the new 4K edition worth buying?
While new features would have been great, Made still looks great in this new upgraded 4K edition, and it’s a no-brainer for fans of the movie. It holds up well twenty-five years later, and I had a great time revisiting it. Buy it here!
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