Big Trouble

It's Easter, and as my parents sit in the living room watching television with the volume turned up to 86, here I sit in my bedroom, typing a review for the movie we just saw, "Big Trouble." It was my father's choice, a choice I assume he quickly began to lament, as the movie almost immediately begins with a scene of a man sucking the toes of his incredibly attractive maid. I mean, if you thought watching sex scenes with your parents was awkward, just try watching foot fetishism.

"Big Trouble" is one of my dad's favorite comedies, and honestly, I can understand why. It's a breezy, quickly paced, and fast moving little flick that's charmingly irreverent and definitely unpredictable. With a surprisingly star-studded cast and everything from bumbling hitmen to a street full of goats to Johnny Knoxville trying to rob a bar, "Big Trouble" has enough characters and plot points to fill the first two seasons of a CBS television show. And somehow, the movie makes it work, most likely because of the overall bizarness of the story.

Ben Foster, Tim Allen, Zoey Deschanel, and Rene Russo all have parts to play in this film, including a laundry list of other stars too numerous to mention. And part of the fun of watching this movie was seeing who was going to show up next. All of them have their own role in this movie, and all of them get into scenarios so unrealistic, bordering on cartoonish, that at times this movie felt like a live-action Looney Tunes epsiode. But, and I hate to say this, it adds to the films charm. I mean, this movie is so out there that I guarantee you've never seen anything like it. It's a very weird, almost surreal movie, but it's fun.

The overall bizarness of this story made it enjoyable for me to watch, and the one liners and running gags sprinkled throughout made me laugh harder than I expected. I'm not as big of a fan of this movie as my dad is, but it had more than enough wackiness to keep me entertained throughout.

7/10

Its been a while since a movie has made me laugh out loud... at home... on DVD without the help of a theater audience to provide a helpful laugh track... but this Dave Barry adaptation did it. The wildly slapstick script keeps its wildly varied cast hopping... and hopping admirably! Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Zooey Deschanel, Ben Foster, Stanley Tucci, Janeane Garafalo, Dennis Farina... heck, the entire ensemble is so good that I would gladly sign on for a sequel... hey Mr. Sonnenfeld, welcome back to funny!

I still remember laughing so hard I was in tears in a theater filled with less than 20 people! A great cast and well written, this movie got the shaft after it was suddenly moved to a 12/2001 release (with almost no publicity)after the events of 9/11 because the movie had scenes depicting lax airport security. We Americans were far to fragile to see someone smuggling an atomic bomb and a gun through poor security! What people missed was a funny story and some of the best one-liners I have ever heard ("maybe you guys should plead Not Guilty by reason of stupidity!). Honestly, I have never been able to drive into an airport without thinking about Arriving and Departing ("We're arriving, but then we are departing?")and Florida Gator fans just get hammered! Great flick, get the DVD and see it for real, not the Comedy Central version.

I've seen one user comment here already that unfairly compares Big Trouble with Snatch or Pulp Fiction, but that's really neither here nor there. Big Trouble is intended for an entirely different audience, and while it never reaches the mighty heights of the former, it does a big crap on the latter because it never takes itself too seriously. It recognises that the audience doesn't want a film as a fashion statement, but merely as a form of entertainment. The makers also recognise that they don't have the material here to entertain and inform at the same time, so they just concentrate on making the best comedy that they can. It is for this reason most of all that they succeed.

The strengths of this film are actors like Tim Allen, Jason Lee, Dennis Farina, and Tom Sizemore. I never thought I would say that about Allen, but it appears that when you give him decent material, he can actually make something out of it. Jason Lee is a pleasant surprise as the unwashed hippie who seems to just magically appear in a tree (you have to see it to believe it). Tom Sizemore, however, really steals the show as the thug who just doesn't quite seem to have the brainpower to do anything correctly.

Put simply, this is a crime caper that was intended for families who want to be able to take their pre-teen children to something with this kind of plot and not be worried about the content. Whether you agree with this marketing philosophy or not, it does allow for success of a different kind, namely that it succeeds because it is so unreal that the viewer can laugh without getting disgusted by some of the characters.

The things that detract from this comedy are some weak supporting actors. Zooey Deschanel even gives the camera the old "stunned mullet" look at times, while Patrick Warburton only seems to know one expression. Stanley Tucci can't give us anything to sympathise with his character over, and Sofia Vergara seems completely doomed to be a bit player for whatever little career she might have. The running length is a bit of a two-edged sword - on one hand, it makes sure that the film is never boring, and no scene goes on for longer than its welcome. On the other hand, possibilities for interesting subplots are often passed over.

In the end, I gave the film a seven out of ten. It's not rocket science, but if you sit back in your chair with a beer and some popcorn, preferably with some friends to share your disbelief with, it makes a good piece of entertainment that won't make you wish you could have those 85 or so minutes back. Recommended for those in a light-hearted mood.

I am so surprised this wasn't more popular. It seemed Sept. 11 ruined its chances. I was enthralled. This movie is consistently funny and silly and satirical all at once. It's a brilliant Dave Barry adaptation. All I could think the entire time was, Dave Barry is a movie. Patrick Warbuton was ingenious, as was the rest of the cast. I highly recommend this to anyone with a sense of humor.