CCC Reviews

The Big Kahuna

Kevin Spacey has proven to be the most remarkable actor of the modern era. Although highly under-rated until recently, Spacey has shown skill and prowess as an actor who can adjust well to any role he is given. Most notable is his performance in the Oscar sweeping American Beauty. But some of his better roles have been in great films like The Usual Suspects, LA Confidential and A Time to Kill. 

While Spacey was marquee in American Beauty, The Big Kahuna really captures his talent as an actor. The movie has quite possibly the most boring premise on the face of the earth, next to fly fishing in A River Runs Through It. Three men are on a business trip where they are hosts to dozens of others at a business convention. Their goal is to promote the company to a high bidder.

What develops between Spacey and De Vito who are the more experienced salesmen is a cut-throat style of salesmanship. Whereas Facinelli takes a very religious side and disagrees avidly to the tactics his elders use. The main theme of the film is what part does religion play in the world of business where being on top is all that matters and getting there is the hard part. Does God have a say in how we get there? Or can we simply go to any means necessary to catch the big fish?

What shines most in this movie is the chemistry and superior acting skills of Spacey and De Vito. In some ways, De Vito delivers a much tougher, stronger role than Spacey who takes the middle ground most of the time. Facinelli does extremely well as a know-nothing new comer to the company but is constantly being picked upon.

All in all a great movie with superior acting to many plays. But that's where the film belongs, on a stage. Had it not been for the success of American Beauty, this film may not have been as successful at the box office as it had been. But who can argue with great characters delivered by the best actors of our generation.


Scores for The Big Kahuna
Slacker711 - - "Great cast with a script that would be great on stage."

Cast
Larry Mann - Kevin Spacey
Phil Cooper - Danny DeVito
Bob Walker - Peter Facinelli

Crew
Director - John Swanbeck
Hospitality Suite - Roger Rueff
Screenplay - Roger Rueff
Producer - Kevin Spacey
Producer - Elie Samaha
Producer - Andrew Stevens
Co-Producer - Joanne Horowitz
Line Producer - Barbara Hall
Associate Producer - Bernie Morris
Executive Producer - Gerard Guez
Original Music - Christopher Young
Cinematography - Lucas Bielan
Cinematography - Anastas Michos
Film Editing - Peggy Davis
Casting - Domenic Andreoli