TORONTO -- Jon Favreau is money, baby. Even Hollywood knows it now.
The writer, producer and star of the independent film Swingers not only caused a huge ripple in the pop culture consciousness (for example, the phrase, "You're so money"), he's also becoming a sought-after actor.
Following up a small supporting role as a doomed astronaut in this year's Deep Impact, Favreau stars with Cameron Diaz and Christian Slater in Very Bad Things, the pitch-black comedy that opens in theatres today.
Favreau plays the soon-to-be-wed Kyle Fisher, who heads off to Las Vegas with his four pals for a wild bachelor party.
When a stripper is accidentally killed during the shenanigans, all hell breaks loose.
The film is generating some buzz because of its overwhelming dark humour, which sees all manner of horrible deeds committed by the group of friends, particularly the psychotic real estate agent played by Slater.
Favreau sees that as a very good thing.
"I think you gotta push the envelope with humour," says the musclebound actor-writer who bulked up for an upcoming TV movie role as boxer Rocky Marciano.
"You just have to keep breaking down walls in order to shock people and show them something new."
Last summer's sleeper hit, There's Something About Mary, which also starred Diaz, proved that shocking, gross-out humour sells well.
"People are sort of begging for that relief from the politically correct vanilla entertainment we've had for so long," says Favreau.
He remembers seeing the Mel Brooks' classic western spoof Blazing Saddles as a kid and loving it for its ground-breaking lack of taste.
"Boy, when those guys were around the campfire, I was seven years old and I thought that was brilliant."
These days, Favreau's own brilliance is being embraced by Hollywood. In addition to the Marciano movie (which will likely air on the U.S. cable network Showtime early next year), Favreau is working on a film adaptation of the Po Bronson novel, The First 20 Million Is Always the Hardest, about Silicon Valley start-up companies.
He's also scripted a film, which he hopes to direct for a small studio, about a Hassidic Jew who is a gunfighter in the Old West. Yes, you read that right.
Another project he poured sweat equity into was a screenplay for Leatherheads, which is slated to go into production next year with George Clooney in the lead role - but using someone else's draft of the script.
While he was paid for his efforts, seeing all that work amount to nothing makes Favreau appreciate even more the experience of getting Swingers made.
"Because you might not get the big premiere and the big box office (with an independent film), at least you get to see your words hit the screen."
Now that Favreau is edging his way into the big time, he finds his life surprisingly domestic. He's been in a relationship for two years and spends much of his free time working on his house.
Marriage doesn't hold a lot of appeal for him right now, and neither does a bachelor party, even if it's not quite as wild as the one in Very Bad Things.
"I've been to one bachelor party, and they're very disturbing," he says. "Because here they are, right on the eve of making this vow and purifying their life, and they just gorge themselves on hedonism."
And he thinks weddings have gone from a celebration of two people joining lives to a demonstration of excess.
"If that's your big day in the sun, if that's your moment to shine, you're going to want it all perfect," Favreau says.
"I think it's a very important institution, and I think it's very important that a level of importance is placed on it.
"But it's like Christmas. It's an important holiday, too - Christ was born. But it doesn't mean you gotta buy all that garland and the biggest Christmas tree on the block."
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