Perrey Reeves, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Rhys Coiro, and new characters played by Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment. The film was released on June 3, 2015, to critical and commercial disappointment. Themes and characteristics Male friendship A recurring theme in Entourage is the strength of male camaraderie and its importance over work. Series creator Doug Ellin stated, "Entourage works because it's about male friendship. The Hollywood setting is entertaining but it's really about the relationship between these guys." He later added that, "Ultimately, the show's theme is friendship and family. The characters may have the bling, but they're grounded guys who look out for each other. That's the backbone of the show. If it was just about fantasy lifestyles, it wouldn't be relatable." This view was supported by Jeremy Piven, who plays the talent agent, Ari: "If it was just a show about wish fulfillment and guys getting (sex) because their best friend was famous, it wouldn't be that interesting." To strengthen the bond between the actors, only actors with ties to New York were chosen. Hollywood lifestyle Episodes of the show focus, besides the friendship between the four main characters, on their lifestyle in Hollywood. To lend credence to the show's situations and locations, most episodes of Entourage feature at least one celebrity guest star, appearing as themselves. Critical reception Entourage received positive reviews from critics during the majority of its run, with many praising Piven's performance as agent Ari Gold and Dillon's performance as Johnny Chase. On Metacritic, the show has scores of 68/100 for season 1, 73/100 for season 3, 71/100 for season 5 and 61/100 for season 7 and season 8. The Wall Street Journal commented on the writing, saying it "is almost always smart, sharp and funny." Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly, called season 3 "Almost preposterously enjoyable." In 2009, Tucker remarked regarding the sixth-season premiere, that "the show really isn't that funny anymore". Season 7, while still gaining generally favorable reviews, had a much more mixed reception than the earlier seasons because "it all feels maybe a little too familiar." The eighth and final season of the show was met with mixed reviews from critics, and it holds a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews with a consensus of, "The familiar faces are always a comfort, but with Entourage'''s best stories behind it, the series finale feels like a merciful end."