John Swanbeck's feature film debut The Big Kahuna is
a glossy comedy that attempts to reach tragic heights
but all too often falls short of the mark. Despite its
promising scenario and a talented cast, the film
repeatedly lacks depth and suffers in particular from
an all-too-familiar performance from Kevin Spacey, who
makes his debut as a producer on the picture.
Spacey plays the venomous and fast-talking Larry, one
of three businessmen from Chicago who arrive at an
annual convention in Wichita in search of 'the big
kahuna' – a powerful client with whom they plan to
clinch a major account. Larry is accompanied by the
newly married and deeply religious Bob (an impressive
Peter Facinelli), with whom he experiences a comical
clash of personalities. The third businessman is the
disillusioned Phil (Danny DeVito), who is a veteran of
the convention circle and has recently undergone a
divorce. The men hold a party in their hotel suite in
order to capture the client's attentions, but things
don't quite turn out as planned and the following
morning all three leave the hotel 'changed people' in
an annoying and cringingly Breakfast Club fashion.
The main characters' search for an elusive big
business deal brings to mind several other recent
American marketing movies such as Boiler Room and
Gregory Mosher's The Prime Gig, which covers the
same territory with considerably more success.
Swanbeck's film also has much in common with James
Foley's adaptation of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen
Ross. The Big Kahuna's script was adapted by Roger
Rueff from his own play Hospitality Suite, and
herein lies much of the problem, for the film is
unable to shake off its overly theatrical tone
throughout. In a way, this is partly a testament to
the play's strength as a powerful piece of theatre
that is set over the course of one evening and the
following morning, during which time the action rarely
leaves the suite.
Director Swanbeck struggles to do his best with this
scenario and attempts to create dramatic effect with
some claustrophobic camerawork and the use of slo-mo
for Spacey's initial entrance, but if anything his
limited bag of tricks merely highlights The Big
Kahuna's awkwardness as a piece of cinema. What we
have here is really little more than a play
masquerading as a film. That said, the script does
occasionally raise some interesting points for debate
on both work and religious ethics, as well as offering
astute observations on the clash between different
generations. It also features a surprisingly assured
performance from DeVito, who has rarely shown the
depth of character that he displays as the
sympathetically drawn Phil.
Reviewed by Chris Wiegand
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