(1985)
2.5
Craig Butler
The idea of John Cassavetes directing a broad comedy may strike some as strange, though hardly as strange as the resulting film, Big Trouble. It simply is not a match made in heaven, but while no one would confuse Big Trouble with a good film, it's much better than it has any right to be -- and even has some moments that are actually quite hysterical. The screenplay, which started out as the work of Andrew Bergman, has a very amusing and playable premise -- one that's, however, a little too pat and conventional for a director like Cassavetes. The script eventually goes off track and the film becomes excessively chaotic -- but whether this is because Cassavetes made unwelcome changes leading to this chaos or because he was unable to bring directorial order to comedic chaos inherent in the script is impossible to gauge. The resulting mess is somewhat frustrating, but it does contain delicious nuggets -- the drugstore scene, for example -- that keep the viewer interested. It also has a good cast that ignores the chaos and dives headfirst into the silliness. Peter Falk and Alan Arkin, essentially reprising their In-Laws personas, have a valuable spark and chemistry, Beverly D'Angelo gives it her all, and Valerie Curtin does well with a rather thankless role. Big Trouble should be approached with caution, but in the right frame of mind it can be a decent diversion.
Big Trouble on AllMovie
Big Trouble (1985)
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