IMDb user comments for
The Moguls (2005) More at IMDb Pro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 4:

[1] [2] [3] [4]

Index

36 comments in total

---

28 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
Saw it, 7 February 2005
Author: indriocv from United States

Saw the World Premiere and Santa Barbara Int'l FF last night.

A very funny film with an all star cast. Stars Jeff Bridges, Joe Patalinano, Ted Danson, Tim Blake Nelson, Bill Fichtner, Pat Fugit among others. Bridges plays a small time guy who has been unsuccessful in life. Him and his low life buddies decide to make an amateur porn film. Lots of big laughs. It is like State and Main meets Boogie Nights. Bridges is always good and Ted Danson gives one of the funniest supporting comedic performances I have ever seen. The end seemed a bit thrown together, but very funny. I give it a "B+". Will be out later this year

---

23 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
Just saw this at the Delray Beach Film Festival..., 15 March 2006

Author: dcinsider from United States

OK, so I have to say, any movie about porn, well, conjures up the idea that you're going to have nudity all over the place. Yet somehow this film about porn has next to none of it, and that's a good thing. In the place of bare asses, it has some great performances and funny sequences. Notably Jeff Bridges' character channels a Dude-like vibe while still feeling fresh and different. Joey Pants is bizarre and at the same time likable in his role whose name you just need to watch to see and laugh at. Finally Ted Danson is so completely cast against everything I have seen him in previously and it works. It's a sad state of affairs in Hollywood when you see a preview for a film like this and cringe, knowingly the almost inevitable result would be a lame script with called-in performances. Thankfully, the result is an unexpectedly good natured romp…about porn. I hope this film gets the attention and wide release it deserves.

---

17 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
How could you not like this movie?, 23 April 2006

Author: bgpetrarca (bgpetrarca@yahoo.com) from United States

For those of you in search of a movie that will make you laugh, here is your pick. I have read comments from users saying that this movie "didn't seem real" or "wasn't believable". To you, I ask: What did you think you were watching? I saw this screening at the Newport Film Festival and thought it was amazing. Some movies (gasp) are out there to entertain and this does just that... fantastically. It is a story that laughs at the ups and downs of the human experience while portraying the sometimes very harsh reality of middle-class struggle. It gives us a story we recognize to a certain extent, but garnishes it with a great variety of endearing characters. As an example the group of "guys" has a wonderfully accepted gay guy who asked the guys to call him MOOSE. (played oh-so-well by Ted Danson) We see the standard group of small town guys, going nowhere with their lives, yet they aren't the stereotypical unrelatable morons of modern day cinema; They, in a very round about and strange way, have morals and try to do well in life, despite their position. Go see this movie... it is a wonderful treat and a great time at the theatre.

---

16 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Hilarious film about friend trying to make an innocent local porno, 13 June 2006

Author: Jeff Beachnau (beachna9@msu.edu) from Omena, Michigan

This movie was hilarious. Jeff Bridges plays Andy, a divorced guy visiting his son on his birthday. His ex-wife married a really rich guy, and Andy's worried that his son won't appreciate him anymore because he doesn't have as much money. So he comes up with an idea to make a bunch of money, make a local porno film with all of the town people involved.

The set up isn't so great, but the film is filled with so many actors and a lot of great comedy, it doesn't really matter. And when I say so many actors, I mean it, everyone in the film is a recognizable face. Jeff Bridges, Joe Pantoliano, Patrick Fugit, Tim Blake Nelson, William Fichtner, Ted Danson, and those are just the main characters. Ted Danson is hysterical playing the gay guy in the group who poorly tries to hide the fact that he's gay. And if anyone ever wanted to see Ted Danson naked, this is the film for you. Joe Pantoliano also does a great job in the film playing Some Idiot (yes, that's his character's name) the writer/director of the porno.

It's a great movie, very funny with a lot of great quotes. I just wish the ending could have been expanded a bit more, but oh well. Look out for this one.

---

20 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
Moguls is hilariously funny with a moral, 8 February 2005

Author: RLONEILL from United States

I have never laughed so hard in a movie as I did Sunday night in Santa Barbara. I have known characters like these all my life who continue to try and succeed in life to win the respect and love of family e.g. Bridges's son. The main motive in life should not be monetary gain but being loved by those who love you. This is the moral of this wonderful movie which made my eyes misty at the end when Bridges kept replaying his son's voice mail,"....I love you Dad!" and then put the new sheets on his son's bed. The characters all mirror Bridges's desire to succeed at something in life. Bridges is like a pied piper in uniting the cast to follow his lead. Danson is a riot. Pantoliano is absolutely terrific. I have never seen him before in such a subdued hilariously funny role. Run! Don't walk to this very wonderful movie. Adding to the foregoing comment which was written over a year ago, I saw the re-cut version of the film last night(4/22/06) and wondered why many of the scenes of the funny grumpy old guy, (Clara's man) were cut, particularly the part near the end when he drives away in a new car with a wide smile after he had been frowning during the whole film. The re-cut version is a tighter film which focuses almost completely on the main characters at the expense of the peripheral characters. However, it is still a terrific film.

---

12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
A brilliant and subtle movie., 3 June 2006

Author: lovelifecn2 from United States

A brilliant and subtle movie. If you like quick mind candy and over done special effects you will not enjoy this film. However if you like human stories with endearing comedy you will love this film. Joe Pantoliano totally sacrificed his tough guy image that he developed in the Sopranos in order to clearly and humorously depict a quirky character in the film. Ted Danson did the same; totally destroying that suave smooth Cheers persona that he has been maintaining for so many years. WARNING: People who want the actors stuck in a box don't go and see this film. It is a brilliant fast moving witty depiction of the dreams that so many of us have, but few have the courage to fulfill.

---

13 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
small town America is beautiful, 3 May 2006

Author: fwhamel from France

I saw this film at the Newport Beach Film Festival where it was a hit. The demand was so high that the programmers had to add a second screening, which sold out as well.

This is a fantastic comedic view of how beautiful small town American life can be. Jeff Bridges plays such a charming, delightful, and well intending mess a of grown man whose humongous heart shines all the way through the movie.

The camaraderie between the whole cast is infectious (what a great cast) and makes you wish you were there with them. Go see this film!! And tell your friends!!!

---

9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
An entertaining adult comedy, 26 March 2006

Author: gigasteve from United States

I just got back tonight from an early screening of a new movie with Jeff Bridges called The Amateurs at Penn State. The movie was originally meant to be screened last month, with an appearance by co-star Joe Pantoliano. Joey Pants did come (his daughter is a student here), but technical difficulties plagued the screening twenty minutes in. Joe was very apologetic and stayed to answer questions for a while and in the meantime they set up another screening for tonight. No Joe tonight (he's apparently filming a new pilot for CBS about waterfront crime), but the movie did work so I can tell you what it's all about.

Jeff Bridges stars as a recent divorcée who is down on his luck in a small town. Looking for a way to make it big and have the means to spoil his son, he decides to make a porn movie. He does this with the help of his supportive friends, including Pantoliano, Ted Danson, William Fichtner, Tim Blake Nelson and Patrick Fugit. Their film will be distinctive because it will be made by and feature talent from their own small town. Now I know this entire plot sounds kind of corny but it is well executed – everyone laughed pretty hard throughout.

Besides having a great cast, what makes this movie different is that it is a sex comedy for and by adults. This may be a tough sell, but I can say that at least half of tonight's audience was definitely professors and community members, rather than students. Though there is little nudity or hard language, this is an R-movie because of its frank discussion of sex. It's funny because these guys are trying to be respectful by replacing words for genitalia with other appropriate, but ridiculous terms.

As I mentioned, the cast was great and everyone was prefect for their role. Pantoliano plays the appropriately named writer-director of the production, Some Idiot. Danson plays a gay friend who tries too hard at hiding his sexual orientation, making for some very funny and awkward moments. Fichtner does a really good job with making a fairly plain character entertaining and fun to watch. Bridges plays a loser in the vein of "The Dude", except he's got it together a little more and is a little cleaner cut. About half of Bridges performance is voice-over as well, which was done fairly well. My biggest complaint would be that their female characters receive very little screen time and are underdeveloped. The cut we saw really underused Lauren Graham and Judy Greer.

The film was written and directed by Michael Traeger, whose most notable previous credit was writing the script of MTV's Dead Man on Campus (ouch). The script was really funny and the direction was suitable, though not very special. Based on what Joe said at the first screening, it sounds like they will only be changing the opening of the film – so the cut I saw was pretty close to finished. I believe it will be hitting theaters late spring/early summer. All in all it was an entertaining little indie comedy and its worth checking out for a good laugh.

---

7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Go see it if you have a chance, 1 May 2006

Author: jandsbrulz from United States

I just got back form a sneak preview of the film at SUNY Farmingdale. William Fichtner happened to be an alumni and so he managed to get a showing at my school. This film was overall very well written and funny. it has many classic lines an memorable parts. Not only was the film written really well but the cast did an amazing job. The version i saw was called the moguls but since the studio thought that i would get confused with a skiing movie they changed the title. Also the version i saw i was told is going to be slightly different form what is going to be opening in NY and LA. The movie was hilarious and i recommend going to see it. its going to be opening in only 6 screens in July but hopefully with good support will get picked up by more theaters.

---

14 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
Great movie - wish it would hit theaters soon, 23 March 2005

Author: KathleenSLP from United States

I was lucky enough to catch a screening of this and it was a blast. Anyone know when it'll be out in theaters? - many of my friends would like to see it now that I've been telling them some of my favorite scenes. Bill Fichnter's character was by far my favorite although I also loved Jeff Bridges' and Ted Dansons' characters as well. The humor is very quirky - refreshing compared to the formulaic junk that Hollywood typically puts on in the comedy genre. My only issue was that the ending was a bit cheesy - but not enough to detract from the movie in the slightest. I look forward to taking my friends to see this since I know they'll all love it.

---

---

Page 1 of 4:

[1] [2] [3] [4]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Plot synopsis	Ratings
External reviews	Plot keywords	Main details
Your user comments	Your vote history