Grade: (B+)
Sometimes dumb is fun and this film is a perfect example boasting a highly underrated comedic cast and numerous hilarious moments.
“BIG TROUBLE” tells the multiple stories of various Miami citizens whose lives slowly begin to head towards one another beginning on the day a mysterious steel suitcase arrives in town.
This film is one of those comedies that will never receive the deserved praise for what is delivers. Without question the strongest aspect of this one was the stellar cast of actors and actresses who all seemed perfect for their characters, and looked like they clearly enjoyed their roles. The screenplay was excellently written and provided endless moments of hilarity.
There is no denying the entire premise, plot, and course of this film are absolutely ridiculous, but that is what makes this film the laugh-fest it is. Sure Tim Allen is the headliner of this film but he is not the lead, the script did a fantastic job of using the collective cast as a whole to round out this film, and throughout the course of the film all have their onscreen moments to deliver laughter in their own style.
Tim Allen’s narration over the course of the film serves as explanation for the many sub-plots that weave together seamlessly until their ultimate third-act collision. No matter how talented the cast was, their performances would not have hit their mark without the highly creative collection of wildly absurd characters the writing creates. With each managing to still bring their own personality to the story-line it keeps the laughs fresh and the enjoyment high throughout.
In a story-line filled with so many moving parts it would be easy to lose focus but it held a nice flow, and a clear direction in what Sonnenfeld wanted out of the script. In my opinion the result of this one was a clever and smart comedy without an over-intelligent delivery. There was in-your-face laughs, subtle jokes, and many insinuations you can laugh about a few seconds after they are delivered.
From; two bumbling hit-men clearly out of their element in the Miami area, a couple of awkward police officers who battle between good-cop/dumb-cop, an advertising executive recently divorced and adjusting to a new life, a couple of common street criminals who would lose a game of chess to a monkey, a group of teenagers adjusting to their parents crazy lives and their own adolescence, to a wealthy couple on the rocks as a woman seeks new love and a man craves respect and more money, this one had it all.
With so many characters adding to the enjoyment of this film it was still easy for me to see that Stanley Tucci as the wealthy (by all appearances) business man, and Dennis Farina as the veteran hit-man from out of town, were the two shining lights in the comedic entirety of this one. Their performances were very different but both added many hilarious moments and were the memorable stars of this film rising above the rest of the likable characters.
Overall “Big Trouble” will go down as a forgotten comedy that most will vaguely remember hearing about, if ever at all. But with an outrageously fun story-line, and one of the all-time great (yes I said it) comical casts, this film is highly entertaining, and worth a watch.
Time: 85 min
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For language, crude humor and sex-related, material)