ANNE T. DONAHUE
Adrian Grenier and co. are doing friendship wrong
‘We were something. Like a Waterloo, Ont. Entourage, minus anything you saw in Entourage’
Ihaven’t seen Entourage yet, but I can tell you what happens: A group of rich guys and their celebrity friends gather to make fun of Hollywood norms, all while reaping the benefits of them. Jeremy Piven yells, at least one fist bump is exchanged, and somebody somewhere revels in VIP. Entourage, arguably, is the HBO equivalent of Jersey Shore: something I watched once, and shouldn’t relate to anymore as a human adult. (Although I would pay to see Vinnie Chase shout “Cabs are here!”)
A lot has changed since the 2011 finale of Entourage — mainly that an interest in seeing a slew of white dudes congregate to revel in privilege has (thankfully) plummeted, thanks to the evolution in taste of its viewership. When the series premiered in 2004, I was a 19-year-old freshman-turned-dropout whose weekends/weekdays were defined by who, what, when and where: Who were we going to the bar with? What bar? When? Where is this bar, again? (And what’s everybody wearing?)
I had a handful of best friends, but I still idealized the concept that Entourage perfected — a real, live, VIP-frequenting posse. I wanted to roll into bars, clubs and restaurants, reaping recognition and hoping more than a few tables were fighting over which one of us was the “hottest.” (Gross.) It didn’t matter that my friends and I dressed like Blue Crush extras, avoided most guys who talked to us (they were weird and drunk — so, terrible), and that one of our favourite bars was a family restaurant by day. We were something. Like a Waterloo, Ont. Entourage, minus anything you saw in Entourage.
I was delusional and I was very young. And it wasn’t until a few years had passed did I realize the mythology of a HBO-sanctioned clique wasn’t something to strive for — it was something to steer away from. My group and I didn’t have real conversations in those bars, and it was impossible to grow as people when abiding by a strict bar-based schedule. Fortunately, my pals clued in, too, and we either got closer (forming legitimate adult friendships) or drifted apart. Meanwhile, my understanding of Entourage became limited to Michael Scott in The Office saying “entourage” in a French accent.
Fortunately, pop culture seems to be on the same page as fictional friendships, and squads evolve consistently. Movies and TV shows such as Pitch Perfect, The Heat, Community, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Silicon Valley have delivered compelling, interesting characters whose friendships are built on vulnerability, emotional support and good jokes. It’s not enough just to see a group of famouses descend upon a rooftop pool party — that pool party better be the catalyst from some serious character growth that leads to some serious plot developments.
After all, it isn’t 2011 anymore — and it certainly isn’t 2004. TV has grown up, and so has everyone who’s watched it. At this point, Entourage is the equivalent of that Facebook album of friends you haven’t spoken with since getting bangs.