Cast
Larry (Kevin Spacey)
Phil (Danny DeVito)
Bob (Peter Facinelli)
Directed by John Swarbeck Written by Roger Rueff, based on
his play “Hospitality Suite”
Rated
R for language
Running Time: 90 minutes Distributed by Lions Gate Films
The
Big Kahuna is a classic movie about ethics, friendship and
life. Larry (Spacey), Phil (DeVito) and Bob (Facinelli) are
three midwestern businessmen at crucial stages of their lives.
Larry is a smooth-talking slick operator whose brutal honesty
comes off as no surprise to his old pal Phil, but shocks and
offends young Bob. Recently married, deeply pious and a bit
nervous about his first convention, Bob’s wholesome righteousness
bothers Larry to no end. Trying to keep the peace is Phil,
who has been in the business the longest. Recently divorced
and emotionally and physically exhausted; Phil has suddenly
found himself forced to reassess his life and its purpose.
As the evening progresses, while the three men wait for an
important potential client-“the big kahuna”-to step by, they
find themselves opening up in unexpected ways. As the night
turns into day, each man has been transformed in ways that
they would never expect.
The
Big Kahuna is a brilliant and important movie. It reaches
into the depths of life and retells highs and lows of the
business. The film reminded me a lot of Glengarry Glen Ross
and Death of a Salesman. In which, The Big Kahuna is also
a story of salesmen’s relationships and striving for the American
Dream.
Roger
Rueff wrote the screenplay for The Big Kahuna, based off of
his play “Hospitality Suite”. It is obvious that the film
was first a play, 90% of the movie takes place in the suite
and there are only three actors that have more than two lines.
Roeff creates memorable characters through his beautiful writing.
The conflicts and monologues in this film are superb. The
Big Kahuna is the best script to come out of Hollywood so
far this year.
John
Swarbeck commonly directs the film. Since most of the action
takes place in the suite, Swarbeck let’s his actor’s rip with
the dialogue. One cool element that Swarbeck used in the film
was the lighting. He develops effective shadows and angles
that create emotion and tone with the characters. An example
of the great lighting in the film is the scene when Larry
and Phil are eating early breakfast in the suite.
The
acting in The Big Kahuna is awesome. Kevin Spacey continues
to show that he is one of the top actors around with his sizzling
performance as Larry. Every role that Spacey touches is unforgettable,
the man is just incredible. Danny DeVito has never been better
as Phil. DeVito tackles the in-depth character and delivers
a performance that might get him an Academy Award nomination.
Newcomer Peter Facinelli is overshadowed by the dominance
of Spacey and DeVito. However, Facinelli shows nice range
and promise of an actor of the future.
I loved this movie. It is one of those small independent films
that is hardly released during the big summer movie marathon,
and actually ends up out shining all of the summer blockbusters.
The
Big Kahuna has no action, special effects, nudity or shock
value, it is just one those great little movies. I do warn
you that watching this film is like watching a play; so if
you don’t like movies that just have talking and emotion,
don’t see this film. However, if you want to see real storytelling
with a good message, see The Big Kahuna.
Report
Card Grade: A
Beastman’s
Movie Reviews
|