Grande Problema

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 consider myself an intelligent person, a lover of movies, and having seen this movie twice now, I still think it's great. "Laugh-out-loud-embarrassing-the-person-sitting-next-to-you" great. The film was perfectly cast, perfectly paced, just bizarre enough to keep one's attention, and loaded with funny, crazy scenes. I haven't met a person in the flesh who hated this film, and yet the critics and several folks here have trashed the heck out of it. Frankly, it would seem that America has lost its sense of humor.

Dave Barry, author of the book, does a really good job of portraying humor about his home town (Miami), teenagers, parents, divorce, marriage, autos, airports, difficulties of working in a strange town. The movie is humorous, fun, and moves along quickly. You can enjoy a nice time with it. All the actors do a great job. I think some of my favorite lines have to do with arrivals & departures at the airport! Behind the humor are the scarey foundations of some of the major scenarios of the movie. (Can't say what those are; gives too much away.) So if you are in need of a comedy to enjoy, but which may leave a residue of some of the problems of today's world, watch "Big Trouble".

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 really enjoyed this film. Think Elmore Leonard meets Donald Westlake, and you've got an idea of the kind of plot and quirky characters you're in for. The Elmore Leonard feel is mainly in the Miami setting (and possibly the fact that director Barry Sonnenfeld also directed "Get Shorty"). The rest... reminds me of some of Westlake's funnier, quirkier stuff, like "Why Me".

I laughed out loud, which I don't often do at movies, and I *loved* the supporting cast.

I'm disappointed that some reviewers have let September 11th make them hypersensitive about anything involving explosives or an airport. There aren't any actual terrorists in the film, no Arabs or other Middle-Eastern types with evil on their mind, just silly characters.

This was good, comic fun, and when it comes out on DVD, it will be a welcome addition to my collection.