The Big Empty (2003)

The Big Empty

If you are left of center in your movie picks, you will like this movie. Cleverly written and produced. Great cast of characters. June 4, 2008

The Big Empty

The Big Empty (2003) Would you deliver a blue suitcase to a small town in the desert for $25,000? Sure you would and the hero of this flick, an out of work underachieving actor, takes the bait that sets this rather quirky movie on its way. Set in Baker, CA. a real truck stop town filled with eccentrics, his simple job quickly goes off the deep end and soon the movie appears to be escaping reality's hold. By the end of the movie, reality has taken a real beating. The big empty is the desert and a lot more appears to be going on out there than at first peep. Our hero finds out the neighbor who got him into this gig has been killed and his head is missing. Someone has just given him a blue bowling bag and told him not to open it under any circumstances. Does the bag contain a 3 holed bowling ball or a head with two eyes and a mouth? The FBI is also looking for him as well as a possible serial killer trucker cowboy. And that's the type of quirky situations that our hero is constantly facing in Baker. The color blue plays an important role in the movie so keep a blue eye out for blue things. Populated with some well known actors such as Daryl Hannah, Kelsey Grammer, and Sean Bean, it has enough humor to provide a pleasant afternoon viewing. The movie is rated PG-13 for: multiple blue bags, multiple blue eyes, excessive blue balls, unexplained bowling shoes, multiple weird people, and especially for the guy with the alien claw hand that looks and tastes like a chicken foot. May 8, 2008

A could of been a lot better

This is by no means a must see comedy. There are a lot of better movies out there that make this seem point less to watch.
The reason i give this 3 stars is that it will keep you watching till the end. I dont recommend this as a movie to buy but maybe to rent if your bored enough.

As i was watching this i was waiting for the movie to hit a stride and become funny as i thought everything happening on the screen must become something. It never happened. The movie has a decent enough story line to keep you watching to the end but not enough laughs to be taken seriously as a comedy. April 17, 2008

DVD problems

I have bought 5 different copies of this film, and none will play without pixelating/sound problems. I have a near-new major-name-brand player.

Buyer beware. April 7, 2007

A WILD, FASCINATING, QUIRKY RIDE INTO "THE BIG EMPTY"

Five Spooky Stars! Where has this one been hiding? Mystery is the key here in this independent film and there's plenty of it right up to the very wild end. This film is somewhat in the area code of NIck Cage's "Red Rock West" at the beginning, but it goes in another direction after it gets going. Then what started out as a quirky film kicks it up a notch and becomes a really weird, enjoyable, and special DVD.

Premise: an out of work actor has huge bills, needs a job, and gets way more than he bargains for when he's offered work by a neighbor: because it leads him out into "the big empty". Can't give any more clues without the possibility of ruining it for you. My advice is to see it twice because you'll never see all of the clues the first time through. The second time through, the clues are like glowing neon lights.

The cast list may be misleading: you may not recognize some of the names, but you'll instantly know the faces of this wild ensemble. Jon Favreau is great as the lead. Sean Bean is wonderfully creepy, and Jon Gries, Adam Beach, Melora Walters, Gary Farmer and the rest of the crew are excellent. Kelsey Grammer is a surprise who adds alot of big name credibility to the movie. And, trust me, Rachael Leigh Cook gets my vote as flat out one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. And there is one surprise actor that you won't recognize until the credits are rolling, which may prompt you to hit the reverse button fast. Incidentially, the first scene between Jon and Rachael is a real "hoot" that may slip past on the first viewing. Pay attention!

This movie, which went direct to DVD, is a wild ride and it's a keeper. It is exactly the type of discovery that many of us movie viewers look forward to, and when we find it, it's really a magical couple of hours that stick in the mind for years. Buckle up, this'll spin your head around. Check your Blue Bowling Balls at the door, please !! My Highest Recommendation. Five Mysterious Stars!!

(Note: "The Big Empty" (I love that title) is a great example of what independent film-making is all about. And this is why well-known actors give their time and talent for 'scale' wages: the results can be spectacularly satisfying for everyone of the film makers and stars involved that is on a level that most of the public will never truly understand.) March 21, 2006

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