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Big Trouble
2002 - PG-13 - 85 Mins.
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| Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | | Producer: Barry Sonnenfeld, Barry Josephson, Tom Jacobson | | Written By: Robert Ramsey, Mattew Stone | | Starring: Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Stanley Tucci, Tom Sizemore, Johnny Knoxville, Dennis Farina, Janeane Garofalo, Ben Foster, Zooey Deschanel, Omar Epps, Jason Lee, Patrick Warburton |
| Review by: John Ulmer |
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When I first saw ads for this film, I thought it looked great. A great comedic cast, a good director, and excellent material to be based upon. Unfortunately, due to September 11, the film had to be postponed. I didn't realize this at first. When I didn't see it show up in theaters, I thought I must have missed it and it had bombed. But I found out it was just postponed. When it finally did come out, I never got a chance to see it, because it literally was off the box office in one week.
After reading numerous bad reviews on "Big Trouble," I feared it would be a "Big" flop, so to speak. Still, underneath this, I still felt certain that it received negative comments just because of 9/11, and no one could enjoy "dumb" comedies anymore. Maybe because I am a fan of Dave Barry -- though I never read the "Big Trouble" novel -- this helped make my decision.
Regardless, after so many bad reviews, I had low hopes for the film, yet at the same time, high expectations.
So I rent the film, pop it in the DVD player, start it up, and: it's a bit funny at first. I chuckled at the Frito joke in the very beginning. Then, I liked the parody on Dave Barry -- it was probably in the novel. Dave tends to make fun of himself. Tim Allen plays a pulitzer prize-winning (sound familiar?) writer for the Miami Herald -- Dave's real job.
Anyway, I found that funny, and started thinking, "Boy, this IS going to be good!"
Boy, I was in for a "Big" Surprise.
The film quickly deteriorated into a horrible, unfunny joke. The only funny thing about this film was that it claimed to be comedy.
Tim Allen, who I thought would be the main character, narrates in the beginning. But, all of a sudden, we're shows a bunch of characters, including: Rene Russo, Stanley Tucci, Denis Farina, Ben Foster and DJ Qualls. Not bad actors in any sense of the word (well, at least the first three), and not a bad scenario. Unfortunately, what ruined it is how we are thrown into it. I felt like saying, "Whoa, hold on, what?" It's so hard to follow.
Then, we are introduced to more characters, including Tom Sizemore, who I've always enjoyed seeing on screen, especially in war films; Patrick Warburton, who in my opinion is a funny guy. Perhaps it's the way he talks with an almost Clint Eastwood-like low hiss. Hard to explain. Anyway, he's a funny guy, but the film isn't.
If it's a Russian bar, to a goat on the road, to an airport scene that parodies airport security (I doubt that would be in the film now), Big Trouble had so much potential, but the way it was edited was horrible. Tim Allen is barely in the film, then is thrown in at the end to save the day...
"Big Trouble" is one of the worst comedies I have seen this year. It pains me to see Dave Barry's comic humor go to waste. I wondered why he didn't help at all with the production of the film -- he probably knew it would be a flop. Or, is it "Big" flop?
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