Rating: 
Summary: His Funniest Work Yet
Review: This is Dave Barry's first foray into the world of fiction, and I hope it won't be his last. It is the story of a homeless man, Russian arms dealers, a pair of con artists, two police officers, an illegal immigrant, several almost normal people, a dog, and a poisonous toad. The plot is relatively straightforward (although interesting), but the wide range of character's manage to twist it almost completely out of control. The movie based on the book is due to be released soon, but it will be hard pressed to match the quick pace or raucous humor of the book.
Dave Barry's prose is very simple and straightforward (making it a very quick read), but the strength in his writing has always come from his humor. He has never been funnier than in "Big Trouble". His characters behave in a normal, completely believable fashion while his observances (e.g. the son's disdain of any stereo unable to stun cattle, the dog who likes everyone because they might have food) make every encounter a laugh riot.
Rating: 
Summary: Big Trouble is Big Fun!
Review: Sorry, crummy title, I know. Couldn't help it, though. I've enjoyed Dave Barry's humor columns ever since I was in high school, and with the number of positive reviews on this novel (and the upcoming movie), I took a chance and picked up a copy. (Also, I'm in a bit of a crime novel mood lately.) I was pleasantly surprised. The first fifty pages or so were decent, if occasionally a bit of a retread of Barry's earlier work- I mean, how many "dumb dog" columns has he written? A billion? The retreads weren't too intrusive, though, and there were some great jokes and intriguing characters, so I pushed forward. And then the story took hold. In his opening "Acknowledgements and Warning," Barry claims that he had no idea how to actually formulate a plot in his work. I don't know if he's just being modest, or if he's unaware of his own strengths, but the story of this novel is _great_. It follows with its own beautiful, utterly mad logic that pulls you from point a to b to z, with numerous stops in between. And the jokes keep coming, and the characters are likable and interesting and worth following, and if you can put this novel down in the last hundred or so pages, you're a stronger man than I. I gave it four stars, mainly because the romantic subplots (except for that between Puggy and- well, I wouldn't want to ruin it for you) are a little awkward feeling at times. But I'm being stingy, and the few faults are exceedingly easy to gloss over. I highly reccommend this to Barry fans who are interested in following him in this new direction, and anyone who enjoys a good comic caper (sort of) novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I love Dave Barry & think he's one of the funniest writers around, which is why I was so excited to read his book. While parts of it were funny, on the whole, it just didn't cut it for me as a book. It was very disjointed and a bit too far-fetched for its own good. Maybe his next book (if he decides to write one) will be better....
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I'm a big Dave Barry fan - I have a large collection of his other books, which I avoid reading on the train home because I embarrass myself too frequently. As a result, I looked forward to this Barry novel. Frankly, it doesn't cut the mustard at all. It has quirky characters and a quirky plot, but for me it just doesn't get off the ground. I think I chuckled a couple of times and smiled another couple, but I could have read it on the train without causing any disturbance. Dave Barry's true forté is the newspaper column; I think he should stick to that.
Rating:
Summary: The movie will probably be better
Review: I'm a longtime Barry fan who owns most of his books but his first novel left me cold. Yes, like many reviewers have already said, it's a pale imitation of Hiaasen and the strip-mined genre of Miami as the planet's center of amoral craziness. I'll also agree with those who have noted its jarring tone shifts (the standard Barry-esque observations about the intelligence of dogs and criminals vs. the truly disturbing sexual assault/home-invasion robbery scene).I kept expecting Barry to ratchet up the weirdness and keep the plot wacky when he suddenly shifted into an ugly Tarantino mode mid-stream. I don't care about the foul language since it was entirely appropriate for the type of characters he created but I really felt like the violation of one of the main characters belonged in another book. Nothing seemed amusing after that. I suspect the Barry Sonnenfeld movie will be quite an improvement. It's been rated PG-13 so most of the ugliness has probably been taken out and replaced with humor. Curiously, the credit for Barry's novel seems to be missing from the poster. Hmmm...
Rating:
Summary: A Dave Barry book
Review: Dave Barry, journalist for the Miami Post, has come out with his first book that is not made up of newpaper articles. Those are very funny, but they are not novels. This book takes place in Miami (see roach parties), and although I have never been there, Dave describes it in such a way that I would almost think he lived there. It is funny to read about all the different people, and the way they run into each other. I could tell you about the plot, but that might affect the reading, so I'll just say that after several people try to shoot each other (see Miami, passtimes), the book has a good ending of an exploding underwater bomb, and wouldn't Exploding Underwater Bombs be a good name for a rock band? So if you go down to Miami, be careful not to get shot, and visit a roach party, they're held at city hall. There were some things in this book that might not have been too good, or even bad, but not as bad as some of the things I've, unfortunately, read. I liked it.
Rating:
Summary: Responding...
Review: To respond to the review that accuses the book of making attempted rape into a joke: That's just not true. The book in no way suggests there's ANYTHING funny about this incident; it clearly suggests the opposite, and uses this incident to show show how evil the villain is. The fact that a book contains humor doesn't mean everything in the book is intended to be laughed at. Go ahead and dislike the book if you want, but this accusation is grotesque and unwarranted.
Rating:
Summary: Not great
Review: Funny at times, but a somewhat farfetched and silly plot.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT STUFF!!
Review: Absolutely hilarious, especially if you live in Florida and have atleast driven down a street in Miami, once, on accident... AN EASY READ on a whole.
Rating:
Summary: Big Trouble
Review: This book was hilarious. Okay, the plot is bizarrely twisted and a bit farfetched, but it was typical Dave Barry. Funny names ("Puggy"), hilarious situations, and livestock wandering about Miami. Definitely not a serious novel, but definitely funny. Just like he says in the intro--he's emulating Carl Hiaasen's "Bunch of South Florida Whackos" genre. That pretty much covers it.
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