Today’s quick review: Big Trouble. Eliot Arnold (Tim Allen), a divorced ad executive, gets caught up in a bizarre series of events when his son Matt (Ben Foster) plays a prank on Jenny (Zooey Deschanel), the stepdaughter of Miami arms dealer Arthur Herk (Stanley Tucci). As Eliot hits it off with Arthur’s wife Anna (Rene Russo), Arthur resorts to desperate measures to escape the violent consequences of stealing from his employers.
Big Trouble is a crime comedy with a sprawling plot and an ensemble cast. Big Trouble starts innocuously enough, following Eliot Arnold as he tries to patch things up with his teenage son. But within minutes, the situation has turned into a tangled, comedic messs involving an easygoing drifter, a pair of assassins, a suitcase bomb, and the Miami police. The movie’s creative writing and cast of familiar faces aren’t enough to make its comedy click.
Big Trouble works hard for a mediocre payoff. The plot is a jumble of mistakes, accidents, and coincidences where no one except the audience knows just what is going on. There are well over a dozen characters to keep track of, not to mention half a dozen plot threads that all interact with one another. The chaos should be the recipe for a wild comedy, but Big Trouble never figures out the right way to cash in on all of its hard work.
The result is a series of madcap situations that have lots going on, very little of it consequential. The large cast makes it hard to invest in any of the characters, while the plot is more convoluted than it needs to be. But to its credit, Big Trouble does a fine job with its moment-to-moment humor. The characters are colorful, the script is creative, and the movie can be fairly enjoyable when it’s just having fun and not building to a payoff.
The other point in Big Trouble’s favor is its enormous cast, which includes Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Stanley Tucci, Janeane Garofalo, Patrick Warburton, Zooey Deschanel, Dennis Farina, Johnny Knoxville, Andy Richter, Sofia Vergara, and Tom Sizemore. Not all of the actors are used to their full potential, but each one gets a couple of good moments, and their performances are the most reliable aspect of the film.
Big Trouble’s flaws keep it from standing with the greats of the comedy genre, but it has enough going on to be an amusing watch for the right viewer. Those in the mood for something short, light, and colorful will get the most to it, thanks to its solid cast and bizarre situations. Those hoping for tight writing and a carefully orchestrated comedic payoff will want to keep looking.
For a sharper crime comedy with a similarly convoluted plot, try Snatch, The Gentlemen, or Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. For a ridiculous comedy that makes more out of fewer ingredients, try A Fish Called Wanda. For a crime comedy that has some of the same character dynamics, try Flypaper. For a crime drama with black comedy elements and a similar plot, try The Way of the Gun.
6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for loose but enjoyable comedy.