All great story telling have common themes. They say that there are really only a few basic story themes that all great stories come from including man against nature, man against society, man against himself and man against God. But great stories always have the common elements of strong and complex characters, a sense of a home base that the characters work from, a sense of family between the core group of characters and a challenge, problem or adventure that tests that bond but that finally yields when the family unit sees success or victory over the enemy.
These elements of great story telling are as common in very modern stories as they are in ancient ones. If you step back even from the very popular new comedy on HBO called Entourage, you can see elements of story telling that tie it to older more traditional “tales of bravery” such as the Lord of the Rings. And by seeing the similarities, it adds to our appreciation of new story telling and our enjoyment in watching the fun of the Entourage series.
A common element of Entourage and the Lord of the Rings is we see a band of brothers heading off to a new adventure that is full of mystery. In the Tolkien classic, the hobbits have this high calling to go to Mordor and destroy the ring to save mankind. The band of males that set out on this mission are diverse in personalities but they all bond to supporting that one gallant leader, Frodo.
It is Vincent Chase who fills the role of gallant hero in Entourage. Like Frodo, he is the most exceptional character in the group. He has all the characteristics it takes to succeed in his quest which is not the conquest of Mordor but the conquest of Hollywood. He is handsome, talented, well connected, ambitious and flamboyant. These are the traits we must have in our “heroes” who succeed in Hollywood. Vincent leaves his native land of Brooklyn just a Frodo and his friends leave The Shire for unknown lands. And Vincent accompanied by his brother Johnnie and two close friends Turtle and Eric and eventually joined by the very enigmatic Ari Gold all work together to conquer Hollywood.
Along the way, both the hobbits of the Lord of the Rings and the boys of Entourage encounter many strange and wonderful characters. For the hobbits, it is orcs, elves, giant spiders, gnomes and wizards that join them on their adventure. Some of these creatures help them and some pose a real danger to the success of their quest. Vincent’s strange creatures include agents, producers, groupies, other actors and the vast array of Hollywood types that all populate the colorful world of Entourage. And just as the hobbits must work together to discover which creatures are evil and which are good. Vincent comes to depend on his fellow travelers to figure out this complicated new world of Hollywood that they want so much to conquer.
The sense of mission and calling fills both The Lord of the Rings and Entourage. There is a certain magic in both stories. For the hobbits, they constantly encounter good and evil magic from wizards and other creatures of the various lands they visit. For the boys of entourage, many they come across promise the ability to make the magic of Hollywood happen for them but only a few can really cast the spell of success Vincent seeks.
The Lord of the Rings is a very long tale. And Entourage is going into its fifth season so it too is a lengthy quest that goes on each week of each season that unfolds on our television sets. Like the quest of the hobbits though, much of the fun of Entourage is what happens along the way. And like Lord of the Rings, Entourage is the type of story that we come back to again and again and again to get more of the magic of story telling from a well crafted modern day story of modern day adventurers on a modern day quest for greatness. No wonder we love to travel with them each week.
