The Underrated: Big Trouble

"Was that a goat?" - multiple characters

A very quotable, fun, and entertaining movie is Barry Sonnenfeld's Big Trouble. I consider it a sort of mini-Pulp Fiction. It features an ensemble cast of characters who are all funny, a multilayered story, and plenty of action and laughs. It isn't a great film, but it certainly deserves a little more credit in my opinion.

The plot contains several stories of different characters whose lives intersect at one point or another within a few days in Miami. These characters include divorced father Eliot (Tim Allen) and his rebellious son Matt (Ben Foster), superficial businessman Arthur Herk (Stanley Tucci), his sexy but miserable wife Anna (Rene Russo) and Anna's also rebellious daughter Jenny (Zooey Deschanel), a light hearted drifter Puggy (Jason Lee), and two dim witted thugs Snake (Tom Sizemore) and Eddie (Johnny Knoxville). A series of events puts Eliot and Anna in a romance, a price on Arthur's head, various people being attacked or robbed, and the entire city in danger of a briefcase stored weapon of mass destruction. The result is a pretty enjoyable movie.

Really there isn't any real deep analysis needed or a meaning to be provided, it is just a smart, funny movie that did not get as much recognition as it should have. But a movie smart enough and funny enough to have gained a little more recognition. A lot of movies have running jokes that go nowhere or are just unsatisfying, this movie has quite a few running jokes that are all pretty well enjoyable; I especially love the two northern hitman (played by Dennis Farina and Jack Kehler) being completely bewildered by all of the strange things they are coming across down south.

Maybe I am wrong and it is not as good as I say, but really everyone I know who has seen it has enjoyed it and I know some people who are pretty savvy when it comes to movies. If you wanna watch something good one night, Big Trouble is just as good a choice as any and you more than likely will not be disappointed.

This has been another segment of The Underrated from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.