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The Big Kahuna

The Big Kahuna

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Big Suprise- Maybe the best movie of 2000!
Review: This movie is good. Watch it and take notes. Much thanks to Mr. Spacey for helping this story to get filmed (He was co-producer i believe). Much thanks to HBO for airing this film which I would've probably never seen had they not aired it. You would've figured that this movie would have had a chance at reaching an audience being that it was released just weeks after Spacey had won the Oscar. But sadly, people aren't used to 90 minutes+ of 3 guys talking in a hotel. This movie could possibly go out of print and virtually disappear due to lack of exposure. Danny Devito and Kevin are great together. Maybe in the future they could pair up again, make another 4 star movie, and show everyone what they were missing with this movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Thought-provoking film plays with the viewer's expectations
Review: A thought-provoking film about the nature of humans to proselytize to one another. The film starts out like "Death of a Salesman" with Kevin Spacey as Willie Loman teaching a young Biff-like protege the importance of ingratiatory salesmanship. But then it takes off unexpectedly on a spiritual tangent (that seemed more like an agenda at first) before finishing up like "The Rapture" as a cautionary tale about the dangers of over-zealousness and the intransigence of one's belief system. The similarities between the religion of Christ and the reverence for Mammon was already fascinating (and apparent) without Devito's superfluous summarizing monologue. The claustrophobic setting reveals the film's origin as a stageplay but that didn't bother me because these three guys don't seem like the types who would want to grab a breath of fresh air in Wichita, KS anyway. Highlights for me were the performances of Spacey and Devito and their rendering of the dialogue, which comes close to emulating Mamet's in regards to the sentiments but misses the mark in regards to rhythm and the use of the vernacular.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Big Picture
Review: This film poses a unique scenario: three salesmen with different backgrounds, philosophies, and values,trying to sell an industrial lubricant to the infamous, yet never seen Mr.Fuller. The storyline is simple and concise. Based on a play by Roger Rueff, The Big Kahuna presents the audience with various moral, ethical, and religious contradictions. The youthful and somewhat naive character played by Peter Facinelli has strong religious convictions, thus making himself an easy target for the older, satirical character played by Kevin Spacey. The verbal sparring Spacey and Facinelli engage in concerning the ethics of religion and salemanship is thought-provoking. The debate deals with "selling religion" and the importance of distinguishing between making a sales pitch for a religion, in this case Christianity, and simply sharing thoughts and personal philosophies. This movie questioned the motive behind the everyday things we do and say and how that motive influences others. It forces viewers to reevaluate their stance on religion, if any, and how they share personal views with others.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: honost in a much bigger sence
Review: this motion picture fits in my definition of "keepnig in mind a thought for the next morning". it is simple in structure, selective in script and amazing regarding actors faces appearance. i have reconsidered ranking Spacey in my list of best actors by including him in a new list called "best acting selectors".

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I liked it
Review: Sometimes you watch a movie and you walk out knowing you're going to see it again. Not because you missed a piece of the story or because there was one kick or punch that was so amazing. You are going to see it again because it was just so good. Like you can't put your finger on it but the whole experience of seeing the movie was worth it. Anyways, I thought this movie was worth it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Big Kahuna
Review: Concealed in this little hotel room drama are a couple of great performances, one by Spacey as Larry, the other by Danny DeVito, who gives the performance of his career as Phil, the world-weary but amiable marketing rep. At its heart, this movie is about belief systems, what stands to be gained and lost by subscribing to them, and what happens when belief systems come into conflict.

Nearly all of the action (mostly dialogue) takes place in a single hospitality suite in Wichita, Kansas during a tool and die industry convention. Insofar as it lives in the world of American business, this movie belongs to the tradition of stage play-turned-film with "Death of a Salesman" and "Glengarry Glen Ross." What "The Big Kahuna" does is bring the secular religion of American Business into conflict with the spiritual religion of Christianity.

This movie succeeds on the strength of its performances, and due to the fact that it treats all of its characters, despite their differing perspectives, fairly, honestly, and with respect (an unfortunately rare thing in Hollywood moviemaking), and finally it does not try to provide a definitive answer to the difficult questions it raises.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Afraid to think?
Review: As a devout christian, this movie was, at times, a bit tough to take. I think that's why I liked it. Nothing ground breaking here, just a powerful script about the human condition. This film will make anyone (atheist or Christian, Muslim, Budhist, etc.) think deeply about how there spiritual beliefs fit into their wordly beliefs, without explicitly commenting on either. A touch of superb acting doesn't hurt.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It's not a movie.
Review: The Big Kahuna is not a movie. It's feels more like a filmed play, and as such it stays in one room the whole time. This format is a true measure of the quality of the screenplay because there are no special effects (or ANY effects for that matter) to distract you from the quality or inadequacy of the script. While not perfect, I thought it was extremely good.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Big Kahuna
Review: Those of you into intelligent entertainment, like myself, will enjoy this movie. It makes you think and that's what I like. That's entertainment to me. Sure, there are those of you out there who can't watch a movie unless there are six main characters who are all box-office stars. And in order for a movie like that to be interesting to you people, all six of the characters either have to be driving and destroying cars and miraculously living though it all, or they all have to have at least twelve guns between the six of them and shooting people. This movie is good. It's good the way Good Will Hunting is good. It's not good the way American Beauty is good, but it is as good. It all depends on your mood and whether or not you're more into watching and hearing explosions or being intillectually stimulated. Personally, I enjoy philosophy, human interaction, and interesting points of view more than watching a bunch of unbelievable action sequences with a weak plot twist thrown in somewhere. This movie is intelligent. It does have some funny parts, but overall it's designed to be serious, to make you think. And those who didn't like either didn't get the point or didn't get all the way through it in order to get the point. Oh yeah- I loved the part about "selling God"! That puts some of you evangelists in your place!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Near Masterpiece That Must Be Viewed If You Earn A Living
Review: "The Big Kahuna" has not generated anywhere near the audience it deserves. Originally a play by Roger Rueff who also wrote the screenplay, the movie regrettably has a rushed quality about it that is most likely due to the fact that Kevin Spacey could only devote a relatively short period of time to the project. Nevertheless, the talents of both Spacey and Danny DeVito more than make up for this defect. Also, the acting ability of the virtually unknown, Peter Fucinello, should be held in high regard. Fucinello aptly performed the role of the awkward, immature, and existentially challenged young sales representative, Bob. I might also add that Fucinello's portrayal of an ill at ease young man may not have been much of a stretch. Fucinello in real life probably felt intimidated performing along aside two of the greatest actors of our era. The story line has these three gentlemen attending a business conference in Wichita, Kansas, for the sole purpose of obtaining a meeting with the sales prospect, Mr. Fuller, "The Big Kahuna," to propose the qualities of their firm's manufacturing lubricant.

I sensed a pervasively anti-Capitalist theme throughout the pursuit of "The Big Kahuna." Was it merely my imagination, or did Roger Rueff desire to portray the younger Bob as more virtuous and idealistic than either Larry (Spacey) or Phil (DeVito)? The latter are supposedly hard bitten, somewhat cynical, and overly devoted to closing the big sales to the point of ignoring the larger concerns of life. Yet, I perceived both Larry and Phil as essentially decent men who took good care of their customers. I also know from first hand experience that neither a sales person or their company survives in the long run if the customer's requirements are not met. The younger Bob was actually the unethical one who had no problem cashing his employer's paycheck while focussing primarily upon the mysteries of the universe. Bob should be doing such navel gazing on his own time. Was the audience suppose to conclude that manufacturing lubricants are not of real value to the world? How would one feel, for instance, if a surgeon opted to discussing religion or philosophy instead of operating on his seriously injured patient? "The Big Kahuna's" company may have desperately needed this lubricant. Both Mr. Fuller and Bob were outrageously selfish in placing a higher priority on discussing the ultimate mysteries of life over their immediate responsibilities to their respective business organizations. I would be furious, if I worked for Mr. Fuller, at the flagrant disregard of his obligations towards the company.

The reader should not mistake my reservations concerning the message Roger Rueff perhaps wanted to convey as a belittlement of the movie. I truly admire Rueff's work. Furthermore, It is not at all unusual for members of the audience to interpret the story differently than the author may have intended. "The Big Kahuna" is a must see movie for all those earning a living. The vast majority of us are confronted everyday with the dilemma of where to draw the line between the professional and personal aspects of our existence. This near masterpiece assist us in addressing these unavoidable issues.


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