Barry Sonnenfeld directs this kissing cousin of his own 1995 hit Get Shorty, a comic caper adapted by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone from the novel by newspaper humorist Dave Barry. When two New Jersey hitmen (Dennis Farina and Jack Kehler) show up in Miami to whack crooked businessman Arthur Herk (Stanley Tucci), they happen to creep into his backyard at the same time as Matt (Ben Foster), a high school kid with his own assassination plans. Only, Matt plans to use nothing heavier than a squirt
gun on Jenny (Zooey Deschanel), Arthur's daughter, as part of a school-wide game of "killer." When the plans collide, mayhem ensues, and Matt's struggling ex-columnist dad (Tim Allen, loosely modeled on Barry), Arthur's bored wife (Rene Russo), and two confused police officers (Janeane Garofalo and Patrick Warburton) are also called to the scene. Shift to the next day and there's more craziness to follow. Two dimwitted petty criminals (Tom Sizemore and Johnny Knoxville) choose the exact moment Arthur is transacting a nuclear arms deal to hold up the dive bar where they're regulars, which is actually a front for the Russian mob. Soon the whole motley cast -- including an agreeable drifter (Jason Lee), a buxom maid (Sofia Vergara), and a pair of ruthless FBI agents (Heavy D and Omar Epps) -- are caught up in a hostage scenario in which the weapon accidentally gets brought aboard a hijacked plan. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi
Like an overloaded aircraft at that security-challenged airport, Big Trouble moves forward in fits and starts but never manages to achieve sufficient momentum for a smooth, satisfying liftoff.
Faithful to the events in Barry's novel, lifts a good deal of his witty dialogue, and recruits a proven cast of laugh-winners. Why, then, is it so resolutely unfunny?
Big Trouble is one of those great big silly capers that fails at juggling its dark humor while feeling cutesy in its ability to dance around the plot contrivances...derivative, offensive, stylish and smirky crime caper.
Tim Allen is great in his role but never hogs the scenes from his fellow cast, as there are plenty of laughs and good lines for everyone in this comedy.
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