Prepare yourselves for a whirlwind of absurdity, folks, because Barry Sonnenfeld, the genius behind those Men in Black movies (the good one, not the sequels), is bringing us “Big Trouble”! This isn’t your grandma’s quiet Sunday matinee, no sir. This is a story where a single, seemingly innocent suitcase unleashes a torrent of pandemonium on the unsuspecting streets of Miami. You’ve got hitmen, love-struck teenagers, bumbling security guards, and a toad that’ll make you question reality – all converging in a hilarious mess that only Dave Barry could cook up.
If you thought your life was complicated, wait until you see what happens when a divorced dad trying to reconnect with his son accidentally gets tangled up with an embezzling businessman, his perpetually unhappy wife, and a couple of wise-cracking lowlifes. Explosions, mistaken identities, and enough double-crosses to make your head spin are all on the menu. So grab your popcorn, maybe a stiff drink, and get ready for a wild ride. Just don’t ask me to explain it all, because frankly, I’m still trying to figure out if that toad was real.
Review by Ben Dover
Alright, “Big Trouble.” They say it’s a comedy. And you know what? For once, they weren’t entirely wrong. I went in expecting another one of those saccharine Tim Allen family flicks, and instead, I got a glorious mess of a movie that somehow manages to entertain despite itself. It’s based on a Dave Barry book, and if you’ve ever read that man, you know it’s going to be a lot of disparate storylines crashing into each other like a pile-up on the I-95. And crash they do, with all the grace of a toddler in a china shop.
The plot, if you can even call it that, involves a nuclear bomb in a suitcase, which, naturally, gets passed around like a hot potato by every dimwit in Dade County. You’ve got two hitmen who can’t hit a barn door, two bumbling petty criminals who couldn’t rob a piggy bank, and a bunch of other characters who are just trying to get through their miserable lives in sunny Florida. It’s a miracle anyone survived, let alone managed to tell a story about it. And don’t even get me started on the youth in this picture. Squirt guns? “Assassinating” classmates? What in the blue blazes are these kids thinking? When I was their age, we were out playing stickball, not running around with water pistols like a bunch of lunatics.
Now, Tim Allen, God bless his Tool Time heart, isn’t half bad in this. He plays the divorced dad, Eliot Arnold, who’s just trying to bond with his perpetually mopey son, Matt. And Rene Russo as the trophy wife, Anna, is actually pretty good. She’s got that “I’m miserable but I’m too rich to do anything about it” vibe down pat. But the real stars of the show are the supporting players. Stanley Tucci as the deplorable Arthur Herk, the target of all this mayhem, is a hoot. He’s so awful you almost want the bomb to go off, just to spite him. And Dennis Farina and Jack Kehler as the hitmen, Henry and Leonard? Pure gold. Their deadpan delivery is what saves this film from being a complete flop.
The whole thing feels like a Coen Brothers movie on cheap beer and too much sunshine. It’s frantic, it’s silly, and it often feels like it’s making it up as it goes along. Some jokes land, some just lie there like a dead fish. But it moves so fast that you barely have time to notice. And let’s be honest, in this day and age of “thought-provoking” cinema, sometimes you just want to turn your brain off and watch some fools run around with a nuclear device. It’s a guilty pleasure, like eating a whole box of donuts. You know it’s probably bad for you, but you can’t help but enjoy it.
Maybe my biggest thought as to why it flopped… They should have gone ahead and gone for the R rating, this would be a better movie if you couldn’t feel exactly where they held back or ut to get that all-important PG-13. Plus you have Rene Russo, Nathalie Rose, Zooey Deschanel, and Sophia Vergara, yet not one bit of nudity. Shame. This could have done a billion dollars.
Starring
- Tim Allen as Eliot Arnold: A divorced newspaper columnist just trying to navigate the madness of Miami and raise his sullen teenage son. Honestly, the man could use a vacation and a good strong drink.
- Rene Russo as Anna Herk: The unhappily married, perpetually bored wife of a shady businessman. She’s got more style than substance, but she’s got a good heart, I guess.
- Stanley Tucci as Arthur Herk: The obnoxious, cigar-chomping businessman who seems to attract trouble like a magnet. He’s the kind of guy who makes you want to root for the bad guys.
- Tom Sizemore as Snake Dupree: One half of a pair of incompetent small-time criminals. He’s got more tattoos than brains, which is saying something.
- Johnny Knoxville as Eddie Leadbetter: The other half of the aforementioned incompetent duo. If you’ve ever seen Jackass, you know what you’re getting here. Still, he’s got a certain charm in his stupidity.
- Dennis Farina as Henry Desalvo: A seasoned hitman with a dry wit and a growing impatience for his partner. He’s the straight man in a world of lunatics.
- Jack Kehler as Leonard Ferroni: Henry’s dim-witted hitman partner. He’s easily distracted and prone to asking incredibly stupid questions.
- Jason Lee as Puggy: A kind-hearted homeless man who lives in a tree. He’s probably the most sensible person in the whole movie, which isn’t saying much.
- Zooey Deschanel as Jenny Herk: Arthur and Anna’s moody teenage daughter, who finds herself in the middle of a bizarre assassination attempt. She’s got that teenage angst thing down perfectly.
- Ben Foster as Matt Arnold: Eliot’s equally moody teenage son, who kicks off the whole mess with a childish prank. Kids these days, I tell ya.
- Janeane Garofalo as Officer Monica Romero: A no-nonsense police officer trying to make sense of the chaos. She’s got her work cut out for her.
- Patrick Warburton as Officer Walter Kramitz: Monica’s goofy and overly enthusiastic partner. He’s the kind of cop who makes you wonder if they’re even trying to protect and serve.
- Sofía Vergara as Nina: The Herks’ housemaid. She’s a bit of a bombshell and gets tangled up in the whole ordeal.
Special Effects
The special effects in “Big Trouble” are… well, they’re there. This isn’t exactly Avatar we’re talking about. Most of the “effects” are just things blowing up, people falling down, and a lot of general mayhem. The toad, which apparently spits hallucinogenic goo, is probably the most “special” effect in the whole film, and even that looks like something out of a low-budget kids’ show. But honestly, for a movie like this, you don’t need fancy CGI. You need good comedic timing and a cast willing to make fools of themselves. And in that regard, they do alright. It’s not about the explosions, it’s about the absurdity of why they’re exploding. So, in that sense, they serve their purpose.
Music
The score for “Big Trouble” was composed by James Newton Howard. You know, that guy who does all the big, sweeping orchestral scores for serious movies. So, for a goofy comedy, it’s a bit of a surprise. It’s not exactly memorable, but it does the job. It’s mostly just background noise to the chaos on screen. There are some moments where it tries to be quirky and light, fitting the comedic tone, but then it’ll swell up like it’s supposed to be some grand adventure. Honestly, they could’ve just had a banjo playing in the background the whole time and it probably would’ve fit better. It’s like putting a tuxedo on a clown – unnecessary and a little out of place.
Rating
⋆⋆⋆ (3 out of 5 stars) – Seeing Stanley Tucci stuff Sofia Vergara’s toes in his mouth was an experience I dont think I will ever forget… that does NOT make this a good movie, I will give it an interesting it’s worth a watch, but either have a few stiff drinks or get really high first.
Synopsis and Plot Breakdown
“Big Trouble” is an ensemble dark comedy that kicks off with a seemingly innocent high school prank and spirals into an international incident involving a nuclear bomb, two sets of criminals, a pair of bumbling cops, and a psychedelic toad. Based on Dave Barry’s novel, the film is a chaotic intertwining of various character storylines in Miami, all revolving around a mysterious suitcase.
The story begins with Matt Arnold (Ben Foster), a rebellious teenager, attempting to “assassinate” Jenny Herk (Zooey Deschanel) with a high-powered squirt gun as part of a school game. This prank coincides with an actual assassination attempt on Jenny’s despicable stepfather, Arthur Herk (Stanley Tucci), by two hitmen, Henry (Dennis Farina) and Leonard (Jack Kehler), who are hiding in the Herk’s bushes. Eliot Arnold (Tim Allen), Matt’s divorced journalist father, arrives to retrieve his son and gets caught in the crossfire. Meanwhile, two petty criminals, Snake (Tom Sizemore) and Eddie (Johnny Knoxville), attempt to rob the Herk house, complicating matters further.
Amidst the chaos, a mysterious suitcase, initially thought to contain drugs but later revealed to hold a nuclear device, is introduced. The suitcase is acquired by Arthur Herk from some Russian arms dealers, but quickly falls into the hands of Snake and Eddie during their botched robbery. Throughout the film, the suitcase changes hands multiple times, leading to a series of escalating comedic mishaps.
Adding to the pandemonium are two FBI agents, Pat Greer (Heavy D) and Alan Seitz (Omar Epps), investigating the potential nuclear threat, and two local police officers, Monica Romero (Janeane Garofalo) and Walter Kramitz (Patrick Warburton), who are hilariously inept at their jobs. A homeless man named Puggy (Jason Lee), who lives in a tree and encounters a toad that excretes hallucinogenic fluids, also becomes an unwitting player in the unfolding drama.
The various plot threads converge at the airport, where almost all the characters, including Anna Herk (Rene Russo), Arthur’s unhappy wife who has developed a burgeoning attraction to Eliot, end up on the same plane. The nuclear bomb is on board, leading to a frantic attempt to disarm it before it detonates. The climax involves a bizarre struggle on the plane, mistaken identities, and a surprising resolution to the nuclear threat, all while maintaining the film’s frenetic and absurd tone. The film concludes with some characters finding unexpected happiness, while others get their just deserts, and the general insanity of Miami living is reaffirmed.
5 Famous Quotes from the Movie
- Arthur Herk: “Nina, this is my house, you work for me, and I want to suck your toes.”
- Henry Desalvo: “If we don’t shoot someone soon, I’m gonna forget how.”
- Eliot Arnold: “What is it that brings two strangers together so that one soul inhabits two bodies? Sometimes it’s profound. Sometimes it’s Fritos.”
- Matt Arnold: “Uh, Jenny’s mom opened the door, and I came running up to squirt her. And then, uh, Mrs. Herk jumped me… jumped on me. And, uh, and then I went down on Jenny… or I f-fell on Jenny.”
- Officer Monica Romero: “And these are my handcuffs, and if you don’t take it easy, you’ll be wearing my handcuffs in your goddamn house.”
5 Notes from the Movie
- The film’s release was delayed significantly due to the September 11th, 2001 attacks, as the plot involves a nuclear bomb on an airplane. It was originally scheduled for September 21, 2001, but was pushed back to April 2002.
- “Big Trouble” is based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry. The film attempts to capture his signature style of absurd, interconnected storylines.
- Director Barry Sonnenfeld previously directed the Men in Black films, which also feature a blend of comedy and unusual plots, albeit with a sci-fi twist.
- The cast is an impressive ensemble of comedic and dramatic actors, many of whom were well-known at the time, leading to a high expectation for a box office hit that ultimately wasn’t met due to the release delay.
- One of the running gags in the film involves a psychedelic toad that, when licked, causes hallucinations, further adding to the film’s already chaotic and surreal nature.
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