Entourage

The entourage of fans that enjoyed the television show might embrace the film adaptation of Entourage, while newcomers simply shrug their shoulders.

Indeed, aficionados who were saddened when the sitcom ended its eight-year run on HBO in 2011 will love seeing their gang of Hollywood misfits reunited for one last adventure. Unfortunately, the resulting mayhem hardly justifies the awkward four-year wait.

Following an early montage of sorts for the uninitiated to catch up, the film starts chronologically after the series left off. Vince (Adrian Grenier) is the movie star now making his directorial debut with a risky big-budget project overseen by Ari (Jeremy Piven), his former agent now a studio executive.

The project runs into trouble when Vince overshoots the budget and a Texas financier (Billy Bob Thornton) and his manipulative son (Haley Joel Osment) start asking questions. Meanwhile, the rest of Vince’s friends each have their own problems. His manager, Eric (Kevin Connolly), is caught between two women. His driver, Turtle (Jerry Ferrara), strikes up an unlikely relationship with MMA fighter Ronda Rousey. And his insecure older brother, Johnny (Kevin Dillon), still has more talk than talent as his seeks an acting breakthrough.

As with the source material, this revival is noteworthy for its extensive roster of cameos from the entertainment world (far too numerous to mention here), presented in such rapid-fire fashion that the periphery activity tends to overshadow Vince and his crew.

Most of the film’s enjoyment comes from the camaraderie of the five lead actors, who effortlessly slip back into their roles, as well as a clever assortment of one-liners that satirize the scheming and self-indulgence of the cutthroat Hollywood studio system.

It’s cool and confident, just like its title characters, amid some glitzy Los Angeles settings. Yet it generally lacks the same zip as its predecessor and several sequences feel labored. Even worse, the film, which was written and directed by series creator Doug Ellin, gets bogged down in its plot and feels obligated to get warm and fuzzy in a misguided effort to give the characters a proper sendoff.

Entourage shows that perhaps the material works better in 30-minute intervals than at feature length. The film is more of a finish-line stumble than a victory lap.

Rated R, 104 minutes.