A couple of days ago, Paramount Studios invited Breakout Magazine to an early screening of their newest film "Middle Men" (in theaters Aug 6).  They followed this screening up with a round table interview with it stars Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Gabriel Macht, Kevin Pollack as well as producers Christopher Mallick and George Gallo.

In 1995, everyone had a VCR, music was sold in record stores, and the world-wide-web was a new found discovery.  Businessman Jack Harris (Luke Wilson) had the perfect life – a beautiful family and a successful career fixing problem companies.  And then he met Wayne Beering (Giovanni Ribisi) and Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht), two genius but troubled men, who had invented the way adult entertainment is sold over the internet.  When Jack agrees to help steer their business, he soon finds himself caught between a 23 year-old porn star and the FBI all the while becoming one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs of his time.  Inspired by a true story that proves business is a lot like sex… getting in is easy, pulling out is hard.

This was a very entertaining film. Although highly fictionalized, this movie was very informative about a time when we all wished we were smart enough to move in on this new invention called the internet.  Giovanni Ribisi (one of my favorite actors) and Gabriel Macht do an excellent job of playing two guys that although very smart, couldn't maintain their IQ levels when they mixed the fast lane with their forray into internet porn.  After inventing a way to take credit card sales over the internet, they made hundreds of thousands of dollars a day, but they stupidly seek out a russian mob member and cut him in on the profits so that they could use his women and clubs. As if that weren't bad enough, when the money starts to really role in...they don't pay him!  Luke Wilson's character comes in and tries to resolve their issues, he's sucked in too deep when one of his bodyguards accidentally kills the mobster's nephew, who had come to get the money owed.  There's no turning back now for Luke's character, especially since he has an unsuspecting wife and kids at home who are now in danger.

The acting in this film was very believable, and it was cast very well.

Excerpts from my interview:

When you got the script, what was it about the script that made you wanna do this independent movie?

Luke Wilson: Seeing George Gallo's name on it, I just knew that name from Bad Boys and Midnight run. It was something seemingly different from most of the stuff I do.

Is that your process when reviewing a script?

Luke Wilson: Well #1, I just like to be busy, I'm always looking to work, and you just want a good script. I think it's possible make something good from a not so good script but I think it's impossible to make something bad from a good script. You get a well written script and it's almost like idiot proof.

(Giovanni & Gabriel) You kept the energy of your characters up throughout this whole film, what was that like?

Giovanni Ribisi: It was intense, it was one of those things that you don't realize that when you wrap production, suddenly your body just collapses and is exhausted.

How much of these characters was on the page or your own creation?

Gabriel Macht: A lot of it was on the page and a lot of it was in the story telling from Chris and telling us who these guys were, and a lot of it was improvised with us and George really allowed us to expand on his vision.

Has there ever been a role that you've taken that you didn't know how to play?

Gabriel Macht:  For me it's funny, I always feel that way.  Everytime I get the opportunity to work, I'm like, I can do this, and then I start working on it and then I go Oh my God! I can't do this, I don't know what I'm gonna do.

Gabriel obviously figured out how to play this role because the movie is definitely one you wanna watch. It's serious, it's funny, it's a good time at the theater!