Entourage Season 4 Review

Entourage (2004-2011)
Season 4 - 12 Episodes (2007)

Entourage Season 4

Buy Entourage Season 4
Created by: Doug Ellin
Starring: Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven
Rating: TV-MA

Plot: 
Movie star Vince Chase navigates the road to stardom with his agent and group of friends.
Season 4 looks at what happens after Vince's movie Medellin wraps, but before it's sold to a studio. Eric trys to become a legitimate talent manager. Vince's next project with the dream team from Medellin has problems.

Verdict
Entourage is just a fun show. I like that each season expands the scope of Hollywood. This season we get to see what happens before a movie hits the theaters, and that's what I want, an insight into the Hollywood machine. We see the city through the viewpoint of a movie and television star, as well as a director, agent, and manager.
This season does have a couple of filler episodes that don't propel Vince or his career, but the characters easily carry those episodes. This season finally figure out exactly how to handle Ari, a complaint I've had about past seasons.
Watch it.

Review
This season was great. It finally figured out exactly what to do with Ari while still expanding the world of Hollywood. While this show is very much guys hanging out, it provides a look at how Hollywood runs. We get to see Vince on the Medellin movie set and Johnny on the Five Towns television set. We get to see the struggles of an established agent and a manager just starting out.

Read my previous Entourage season reviews.

I like that the season opens with a documentary following the Medellin production. We've yet to see what actually happens on a movie set with both Queens Boulevard and Aquaman happening off screen. The documentary is inter cut with interviews from Vince, Ari, and Eric. The faux documentary lasts just the first episode. I was afraid they would try to make the whole season in that style which would be a mistake. This shows us a production in just one episode, not trying to drag it out.

Episode 1 - Vince as Pablo Escobar.

We also see that Eric is a good producer, Director Billy Walsh is still over the top and overbearing, but he makes good movies and that is enough. Vince dons a fat suit to look more like Escobar.

The production stumbles when Walsh decides the ending isn't right while also jealous of attention an extra gets from Vince.

Vince has finally made his passion project, but no offers will come until the world sees Medellin. Choice roles don't go to actors that star in flops, and right now no one knows what Medellin will be. Prospects don't look good when Walsh runs away with the final cut instead of showing it to Vince and Eric. When they finally  see it, Vince likes it but Eric doesn't.

Episode 2 - Medellin first screening.

Walsh submits the movie to the Cannes film festival without telling anyone, but Eric's anger is abated when it's accepted.
Ari uses the buzz around Medellin to sell the dream team of Vince, Eric, and Walsh on Clouds a movie about scaling a mountain. The only issue is that Eric hates Walsh and has decided to never work with him again.
Walsh turns Clouds into a script about farming in the future, Silo. Ari works his magic when Walsh doesn't deliver what he promised, turning this new script into another movie for the dream team.

Episode 12 - The Cannes premiere of Medellin.

A short lived bidding war starts over Medellin before Cannes, but that ends when the movie is actually seen. It bombs, hard.

Episode 10 - Eric's new client Anna Faris.

Eric has decided to expand his career and become a legitimate talent manager, finding a run down office for his base of operations. Of course Vince upgrades the office. Eric gets a second client when Anna Faris runs into him, in a car accident. While I wasn't surprised when she gave him the wrong phone number, it turns out it was an accident. Eric's insight lands him another client, but he soon realizes not all clients are as easy as Vince.
Vince distances himself from Eric, but realizes how much he needs them. Vince often comes across nonchalant, but we get glimpses of how parts of his easy life are specifically constructed. This entourage is part of an ego thing for him, shielding him from parts of the world. It's mutually beneficial for him and his boys, but it's not him giving them a free hand out. They each play certain roles in his life.

This season has a few subplots with Ari, and I liked them. I've complained about Ari's screen time, but it wasn't Ari. It was how the show used him. Ari's scenes need to be comically ridiculous, showcasing just how silly Hollywood can be. Season 2 and parts of 3 made his arcs too serious. In this season he tries to get his son into a private school and also loses an M. Night Shyamalan script. This season figured out exactly how to handle him. Ari is obviously out for himself, but that can in turn benefit others like when he helps his assistant Lloyd get his boyfriend back. It's a nice gesture on the surface, but Ari just doesn't want a new assistant. We also see how jealous Ari can be when his wife returns to acting.

It's also nice to see Johnny Drama enjoying the success of his hit television show Five Towns. He has his own condo, which he cares for meticulously.
He tries to get his address annexed into the 90210 zip code for the Beverly Hills amenities. Stephen Tobolowsky plays the awkward mayor that Johnny invites to the party to woo, but the mayor's political standing hits a snag.

This season, as usual, has great cameos with Anthony Michael Hall and Dennis Hopper. The show uses these to great effect, surprising us with what Hall could really be like and proving that while we didn't expect Hopper was a soccer fanatic, he's exactly like we hoped he'd be.
Gary Busey shows up again, wanting to paint on Johnny. Kanye West lends a plane when the guys are in need.

Episode 10- Ari works magic and gets Silo greenlit.

At the same time, it's incredible how easy life is for Vince. You can't help but think that's the life of a movie star. They seem to get whatever they want and party with whomever they want.