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The Big Kahuna

The Big Kahuna

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Quiet brilliance
Review: This movie is essentially a filmed play. I won't waste time discussing the plot, which is already well-covered by other reviews. DeVito and Spacey turn out great performances, as can be expected. Spacey dons his usual sharp tongue to play Larry, while DeVito steps out of his typical obnoxious wiseguy skin to play Phil, a quiet man unsure about his life and spirituality. The surprise here is Peter Facinelli, a young Tom Cruise look-alike (humorously alluded to in a scene where his character imagines himself tending bar, a la "Cocktail") who holds his own against the two venerable veterans. He plays a young, idealistic and deeply pious newcomer to the business scene, Bob. Other critics have described him as arrogant, but he's not--his religious convictions simply run so deeply he honestly can't understand those who disagree with him. The abrasive and vulgar Larry provides Bob with a sort of guilty fascination; Larry is clearly brilliant, but is just as clearly not a church-goer. The film finds a believable and gripping tone with which to question faith and spirituality, and concludes that all three men are spiritual in their own way: Larry finds meaning through his job, Bob through Christ, and Phil lies somewhere inbetween, tired of the charade of his career but unsure how to continue. DeVito has the two most powerful scenes. In the first, he bares his heart to Larry, reminiscing about a poignant, haunting childhood dream. In the second, he lectures Bob, reminding him that he hasn't lived enough to be so sure of himself. You don't have to be religious or deeply spiritual to enjoy this film, only thoughtful. "The Big Kahuna" is a succinct, quiet, and surprisingly affecting film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An underrated classic
Review: I'm not an intellectual or a serious film buff by any stretch of the imagination; I've never seen an Orson Wells film and I can't wax philosophical for six hours about what makes a movie "good". I'm willing to admit that "good" and "bad" are subjective, matters of opinion. I can say, though, that it's a shame that more movies like The Big Kahuna aren't made--movies that are driven by characters and dialogue rather than hackneyed story lines.

This play-based indie flick centers around three disheartened lubricant salesmen holed up in a hospitality suite, where they discuss everything from marriage and business to spirituality and God. That's the basic plot in a nutshell. Lesser actors could've ruined the film, but pros like Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito make it shine. Spacey in particular, whose career started on the stage, makes the most of his role and creates one of the wittiest and most memorable characters I've seen in a long time. With the simplest premise, this movie has a lot to say about society and the human condition in general. It's intelligent without trying to be, and that's what makes it great.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Boring!
Review: Kevin spacey was right!"This is it?This is f****** it?"

Well I was in a video store one time and my father showed it to me one saturday night as my friends were coming over.but they didnt wanna watch so i watched it.In the middle I FELL ASLEEP!when it was over i claimed "this is boring."

If you are going to watch a good Danny Devito movie,watch "Throw Momma from the train",or "twins" etc.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: BIG DISSAPOINTMENT WITH BIG KAHUNA
Review: I was excited about the prospect of watching a film with Kevin Spacey and Danny Devito. My excitement was never fulfilled. The movie centers around three individuals. Two veteran salesmen who despite being complete opposites are the best of friends are in Wichita to smooze up to some prospective clients. They are joined by a new face with the company who is a young deeply religious baptist. The film starts with them waiting in a reception suite and the whole film takes place their save two scenes with no dialogue. I will concede that the acting is good all the way around. Peter Facinelli holds his own with these two acting heavyweights. The problem is that Devitos character is lonely and depressed, Spacey's character is a pessimist without much faith in anything, Facinelli is a wide eyed youngster with faith in everything. This collage of humanity goes nowhere. No humor, no action, no storyline worth mentioning..... just human interaction.

Overall, I was dissapointed and often bored, despite good acting. Rent it, don't buy it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Clever Kahuna
Review: Moviegoers as a whole are so used to films consisting of big budgets,computer special f/x, loud extravaganzas that when something intellectually stimulating comes along they don't recognize it even if it bites them in the bum (including myself).The film-going or video-watching community is so inundated with large sounds and visuals that we often miss some of the most powerful or food for thought dialogue in films like the Big Kahuna.Whether there is one message or many messages to derive from on the meaning of life the great thing about the Big Kahuna is that there is never a dull moment of dialogue or conversation. Kevin Spacey delivers a great and genuine performance as well as DeVito. The fantasy/imagination scenes are some of the most comical seen in any movie for quite some time. My favorite quote or dialogue from any scene is between Spacey and Facinelli about seeing what the young business man can bring to the table, "You'll never know unless you throw me in the water and see if I can swim." Spacey's character replies,"You're missing the point. We're going to throw you off the cliff and see if you can fly!..."Also, Devito's monologue speech about his dream or nightmare he had as a child of God hiding in the closet is classic.The added plus is that this movie does not drag to 2-2 1/2 hours.It's 90 minutes with a clear message;Be human and make the most of your life---not very profound, but still a great message ! In the end of this film you wonder if the title of the film is referring to Spacey's character, the wealthy corporate business man they are trying to lure for their lubricant product, or God...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An underrated classic
Review: I'm not an intellectual or a serious film buff by any stretch of the imagination; I've never seen an Orson Wells film and I can't wax philosophical for six hours about what makes a movie "good". I'm willing to admit that "good" and "bad" are subjective, matters of opinion. I can say, though, that it's a shame that more movies like The Big Kahuna aren't made--movies that are driven by characters and dialogue rather than hackneyed story lines.

This play-based indie flick centers around three disheartened lubricant salesmen holed up in a hospitality suite, where they discuss everything from marriage and business to spirituality and God. That's the basic plot in a nutshell. Lesser actors could've ruined the film, but pros like Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito make it shine. Spacey in particular, whose career started on the stage, makes the most of his role and creates one of the wittiest and most memorable characters I've seen in a long time. With the simplest premise, this movie has a lot to say about society and the human condition in general. It's intelligent without trying to be, and that's what makes it great.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Boring!
Review: Kevin spacey was right!"This is it?This is f****** it?"

Well I was in a video store one time and my father showed it to me one saturday night as my friends were coming over.but they didnt wanna watch so i watched it.In the middle I FELL ASLEEP!when it was over i claimed "this is boring."

If you are going to watch a good Danny Devito movie,watch "Throw Momma from the train",or "twins" etc.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: hidden hero of the USA
Review: From outside, the USA are seen roughly like a big factory of cowboys and with a powerful army and high skyscrapers. But I think at a more fine level, in these enormous buildings are a personage I think very own of the USA, and he's the salesman, the businessmen, the manager or as you like to say, the man who has to sell the enormous amount of products that are made. These work seems to me as hard as these of the cowboy and there's "Death a salesman" by Arthur Miller, a play made forever, unthinkable outside the USA but universal, so surely the American salesman is the best. He sustains the whole world of commerce, it's only that these people uses not to taste. In Europe these work reminds the painful figure of the prosecuted Jew. Sales seems to be not a heroic work and they are worrying people. Well, in this movie, there are three salesmen, one has yet seen almost all and he's tired and prone to drink, another is a young one, inexperienced and narrow minded. Kevin Spacey, the third, is a fully experienced salesman. They sell industrial lubricants but, who are interested in these? Nobody, and the three men in the Hotel Suite less than anyone in the world excepting perhaps the young one because he hasn't still understood in that consists his work. Sales require decision, so, you sometimes have to go to a striptease club and make love with the dancer at sight of all people. No wonder this a weary work! The young one are scandalized, but after a tense conversation the three men have learned each one at less a thing or two from the others because behind their profession are people who achieves a difficult, hazardous, ultracompetitive work that requires knowledge of all facets of life, not in deep but yes in a very wide area including the selection of the correct hotel and convenient appetizers. At the end, have they sold these damned lubricants to the Big Kahuna? I don't know, perhaps yes, perhaps not and these doesn't matter in this excellent film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: says it all!
Review: Just caught this on Bravo yesterday and found it incredibly provocative...thank God someone has done a movie that exercises the mind and challenges the soul instead of reverting to adolescent attention-grabbing and superficial titillation using silly special effects, gratuitous sex or violence to engage the viewer. I'm buying it to show to colleagues!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: 3 people in a room can get a little bit boring
Review: with a movie only based on 3 people in a room it can get boring but the 3 leads, especially Spacey give grand acting performances. DeVito is calm threw out most of the movie and he does his character good. also int he mix is a young actor named Peter Facinelli(Cant Hardly Wait, Dancer,Texas Pop 81., Supernova) who's character involves a lot of religious beliefs. its about them trying to sell lubricants and they need to give a big corpurit person their product.


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