The cardinal rule of every movie, whether a romantic comedy,
a thriller, a parody or a period piece is that it must have a
conflict. There are few movies I can think of that could not
therefore be entitled "Big Trouble," as generic a name as you
can get, and I think that author Dave Barry chose that for his
first novel because there is no focussed plot to speak of. "Big
Trouble," which had been scheduled to open in mid-September
but whose debut was changed to April because of the tragic
events of 9/11, is a pleasant enough diversion, a series of
sketches which ultimately resolve the communication problems
of a diverse group of individuals.
Miami's Dade County comes in for some gentle ribbing
because it appears to be the home of people who are either
zany or just plain stupid. Nice to know that New York is not the
only place in North America to enjoy honors in that category.
While the story is not centered, Dave Barry uses Jason Lee as
his narrator, a homeless man who shares with many others of
his ilk the appearance of Jesus. In his role as Puggy, he could,
in fact, be a god-like figure looking down at us foolish mortals,
describing the assorted antics that would puzzle anyone from
another planet particularly since the rules of comedy require that
any resolutions to the characters' problems must take place in a
roundabout way.
The most realistic problem is faced by Eliot Arnold (Tim Allen),
a Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist with the Miami Herald who is
given a trivial assignment which he refuses to do. After putting
his foot into the boss' computer he is forced to open up an
advertising business which fails. His chief dilemma is that his
teenaged son, Matt (Ben Foster), thinks his dad is a loser and
cannot talk to him in a respectful manner. Dave Barry, through
director Barry Sonnenfeld, gives Eliot the opportunity to become
his son's hero.
The various skits bring together two moronic street thugs who
wind up stealing a nuclear missile which they must transport
from Miami to Nassau, though there is little indication what's in it
for them. Nor do we really know why rich industralist Arthur
Herk (Stanley Tucci), wants to buy a missile, unless he too
wants to regain the respect of the family that hates him his wife
Anna (Rene Russo), his blase teen daughter Jenny (Zooey
Deschanel) and, without realizing it, two hit men led by Henry
Dennis Farina, who are offered to twenty-five big ones to off the
magnate.
The film also features a pair of FBI agents (played by Dwight
Myers and Omar Epps) and a pair of seen-it-all cops (played by
the usually hilarious Janeane Garofalo and Steven-Segal-like
Patrick Warburton).
While the movie is not one of Barry Sonnenfeld's better
ventures not as quirky as "The Addams Family, not as funny as
"Get Shorty" or "Men in Black," "Big Trouble" is the sort of fare
that could well have been postponed to June as a warm and
fuzzy summer pic.
Copyright © 2002 Harvey Karten
out of 4
