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The Big Bounce (Widescreen Edition)

The Big Bounce (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $19.96
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A Film that Bounces Out of One's Memory
Review: Elmore Leonard's THE BIG BOUNCE is more of a travelogue movie or a commercial for Hawaii's travel bureau than a crime caper. It also seems to be a music video as sometimes the music gets in the way of the story instead of enhancing it (JET's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" is an excellent rocker). The cast is impressive, but the film seems lightweight and unmemorable. There are some twists and turns to all the miscreant, but something is lacking. Lead Owen Wilson's Jack Ryan is pathetic and hard to root for. Maybe that is one of the problems with the film (who wants to root a professional thief in the first place). Sara Foster as Nancy is not too distracting of eye candy as the lead femme fatale. Maybe that is part of the problem also, we want her to be distracting but she comes off as another face in the crowd of beach bunnies. The film is slightly interesting because of the presence of Morgan Freeman in a somewhat phone-in performance and Bebe Neuwirth is always good in everything she does. This means that the support cast is more interesting than the leads. The caper lacks any energy as with the characters in the film. This reviewer has seen better stories and better energy on episodes of MAGNUM P.I.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Incredibly disappointing....
Review: Everything about this movie and DVD screams "let's wrap this up and get the hell out of here." For one, the film runs a paltry 1 hour and 20 minutes, which is little better than a special extended episode of a TV show. It seemes like the director realized the film was getting out of control and losing it's pace, so he simply jammed the final scenes together and ended the movie with some island shots. Even the actors seemed like they were just going through the motions in the second half, which is sad considering you have real talent in the leading roles. How disappointed did Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman and Gary Sinese have to be? At least it was filmed in Hawaii and Sara Foster was in a bikini 90% of the time.

The DVD is short on extra features as well. Other than the obligatory "behind-the-scenes," the rest of the special features are surfing shots. They throw in an Owen Wilson interview in where he mentions that his character was a surfer (for about 30 seconds in the film) and then we go right into the big wave footage. Granted, the shots are pretty cool, but they have nothing to do with the movie.

For the most part I like Elmore Leonard adaptations, but it seems like there has to be a top-line director attached to make sense of the complicated plots, i.e. Sonnenfeld with Get Shorty, Tarantino with Jackie Brown (based on Rum Punch) and Soderbergh with Out of Sight. In The Big Bounce you get a plot that starts out interestingly enough, but by the end every single character is suddenly double-crossing the others within a space of 15 minutes. Where is the plot development? Where are the character's motivations? It all ends up as a big mess. Maybe we should be happy that it's only 80 minutes long. Any more and the stop button on the remote looks very inviting.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Oh my god this is the worst movie i've ever seen
Review: First of all you must understand my love for Owen Wilson, I find his movies to be hilarious, Starsky and Hutch, Zoolander, I mean come on. Morgan Freeman has also been in like a billion awesome movies, Shawshank Redemption, Robin Hood, Driving Miss Daisy, so don't get me wrong when you see my title, my anger is not at them. This movie was however the lamest, most boring, and stupid movie I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of bad movies, I don't know if I laughed at all after the first 5 minutes. Charlie Sheen put in what could be considered the worst acting I've ever seen, his character was so stupid, so(...) stupid, Gary Sinese could have been replaced by a tape recorder filled with typical mean bad guy phrases like "find my money" or "get off my island or else", gee what more is there? I swear to god that I don't know if I was supposed to laugh at the ending or not, words cannot describe how I felt after it was all over. In the end I was just saddened as to why such good actors would be associated with this garbage, anyone who liked this movie needs help, or must be a Jimmy Fallon fan or something

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I actually enjoyed this movie, despite its faults
Review: I really didn't expect a lot from this movie - but it did feature Morgan Freeman, the greatest actor working today, as well as the scantily-clad Sara Foster, so I said what the heck. Actually, the movie really isn't that bad. Sure, it's a little silly and predictably unpredictable (you know how these comic con game movies are), it sometimes seems as if the actors are making things up as they go along, and the ending leaves much to be desired, but - and I hate to admit this - Owen Wilson is pretty darn funny, the Hawaiian setting is gorgeous, there's no shortage of bikini-clad ladies, and the storyline is enough to keep you interested. You also have all these weird cameo appearances by celebrities such as Gary Sinise, Willie Nelson, Harry Dean Stanton, and Bebe Neuwirth - they don't really add to the movie, but you're always wondering what famous person will show up next.

I don't think I need to explain how these con game movies work, not after all of the con game movies Hollywood has sent our way in recent years. You've got your con, then you've got your hidden "conspiracy" of con men and women making things more complicated, and then you have an ending that flies off in another direction altogether without adequately explaining what just happened. Owen Wilson plays Jack Ryan, a rather typical roustabout who has made his way to Hawaii. There's an unfortunate incident involving his supervisor's head and a baseball bat, but oddly enough, the district judge Walter Crewes (Morgan Freeman) gives him a job, and it's not long before he is hanging out with Nancy Hayes (Sara Foster), the young mistress of Jack's now-former boss Ray Ritchie (Gary Sinise). Drawing upon the natural charms she was blessed with, Nancy talks Jack into pulling a heist for her; two hundred grand is going to be ripe for the plucking and - best of all - the robbery victim will be none other than Ray Ritchie himself. Now that you know the basic setup, forget all about it because things change a great deal by the time everything actually goes down.

Morgan Freeman was, naturally, quite good in this film - although I don't consider The Big Bounce to be much of a feather in his cap. Methinks my favorite actor really just wanted to spend a working vacation in Hawaii. It seems obvious to me that Owen Wilson was the perfect choice to play Jack Ryan - I'm not saying he's a great actor, but few actors could have delivered all of his cheesy dialogue without bringing the whole production down around his feet. Sara Foster is quite good as well (and I'm not just saying that because she was scantily-clad most of the time). Unfortunately, the ending of the movie just isn't very satisfying - too much is left unexplained, and it just doesn't feel right.

Maybe I'm just too easy to please, but I think The Big Bounce is a pretty good film for the most part - a silly little diversion that will make you laugh a few times and leave you feeling entertained (although the unsatisfying conclusion might lead you to forget the good things about the film).

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Zippo, zilcho, zero, nada, nothing
Review: I've already wasted too much typing time on telling you how tremendously horrid this movie is. Boring doesn't describe it, so I'll get out my thesaurus: tiresome, humdrum, tedious, insipid, stale, flat, wearisome. We, indeed, barely made it halfway through. Owen Wilson: I can't stand this actor--what a horrid sense of humour/way of being, to constantly use other people for your own enjoyment. And that ditzy scantily clad blonde--what was that supposed to be about? As for Morgan Freeman: Are you bored with life or just plain desparate for work? Gimme a break and gimme my rental money back. This just plain sux!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Elmore Leonard lite
Review: THE BIG BOUNCE is a moderately entertaining caper comedy about two misfits (Owen Wilson and Sara Foster) trying to scam a sleazy developer (Gary Sinise) out of $200K. The film is based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, who as usual takes as much (if not more) pleasure in the planning than in the actual crime.
The film certainly takes the planning more seriously. The actual crime feels tacked on in a rush at the end. This movie will be a treat for Owen Wilson fans, it's a showcase for his mildly stoned insouciance. Model-turned-actress Foster is very beautiful and suitably pouty. A large number of eccentric characters populate the Hawaiian setting, most notably a relaxed Morgan Freeman as a judge/landlord. What's missing from THE BIG BOUNCE is danger and suspense, and any hint that any of the characters is actually a criminal. The plot to rip of Sinise's character is treated with the seriousness of a practical joke.The supporting cast also includes Charlie Sheen, Bebe Neuwirth, Vinnie Jones, Willie Nelson and Harry Dean Stanton.
Still, Owen Wilson is a fine comic actor, and THE BIG BOUNCE is a low key good time, a good way to kill a Saturday afternoon.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wonderful Scenery And Cast, Just A Bit Short Plot Wise
Review: The Big Bounce was quite a disappointment, considering the makeup of the cast: Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman, Charlie Sheen and Sara Foster (who is GORGEOUS by the way!!!) among others.
The acting is pretty good (but nothing great), the humor is average, the plot is way below average, and then there's the great location; HAWAII...
It seems as though the actors/directors/producers went to the isles on vacation separately, while there they met up with each other at the hotel lounge over Pina Coladas, and then decided, on the spot, to make the best of their stay by doing a quick and easy film on the side for some extra cash/spending money.
So it's a weak plot, a great setting and a wonderful cast, which when put together fail to take off.
The potential for a great movie was definitely there.
In a nutshell, it's an ok movie, and that's about it; it lacks that extra something to put it over the top. No masterpiece here... Wait till they show it on TV.


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A very good show!
Review: The story is a humorous view of those who live by their wits. It pokes fun at greedy people, over zealous types, and has an outstanding plot.

I've seen it twice and want to buy the DVD and poster.

It will become a cult classic like "Strange Brew" did.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Big Bore
Review: This is one of the most boring movies I've seen in quite some time. It only lasted an hour and twenty minutes and I couldn't wait for it to end! It's just a mess of a plot that jumps all over the place with people trying to get the best of each other. It's supposed to be crime caper but it is such a horrendous mess that it's neither funny, which it aspires to be, nor suspenseful.

Thumbs way, way down.


Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Big Flop
Review: This is proof that it takes more than a couple of well-known actors to make a movie. The talent here is wasted. Everyone seems like they didn't care about the movie; they just wanted to get on with their free Hawaiian vacation. The story itself is directionless and lacks any fun. By the time the "surprise" ending comes around, the audience has already lost all interest and care. It's tiring, tedious, and boring! This movie also pushes the limits of the PG-13 rating. The lead female is naked to near naked for half the movie. Please, don't waste your time on this crapfest. I don't even know you, but I'm certain you deserve to spend your weekend on something better.


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