In every other way, The Big Bounce is a dreadful exercise, with a script full of contradictions and empty gestures and a leading lady who's such a novice it hurts to watch her.
The Big Bounce (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:130
Fresh:21
Rotten:109
Average Rating:4/10
Consensus: An inert movie with few laughs, The Big Bounce is a big waste of talent.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sexual content and nudity, violence and language
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Jan 30, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $6,331,346
Synopsis: Based on the Elmore Leonard novel that inspired both the 1969 film and this remake, THE BIG BOUNCE is a comic film noir about an everyman who finds trouble in the form of a beautiful blonde. Jack... Based on the Elmore Leonard novel that inspired both the 1969 film and this remake, THE BIG BOUNCE is a comic film noir about an everyman who finds trouble in the form of a beautiful blonde. Jack Ryan (Owen Wilson) is a small-time scam artist who is determined to leave that life behind after yet another run-in with the law. But when he meets the mistress of his former boss, Ray Ritchie (Gary Sinese), all bets are off. Nancy (newcomer Sara Foster) is hot, mischievous, and up to no good, but Jack is too smitten to use his better judgment. It isn't long before he's agreed to help her steal $200,000 from Ray. Along the way, he must contend with a series of potentially shady characters, who might not be what they seem (Morgan Freeman, Charlie Sheen, and Bebe Neuwirth). Directed with an easygoing approach that fits perfectly with the laid back Hawaiian locales, THE BIG BOUNCE gets an enormous boost from Owen Wilson, who appears to be having the time of his life. This might have something to do with his costar Foster, a former model whose mere presence is enough to make the screen sizzle. The movie also features hilarious supporting turns from Freeman, Neuwirth, and especially Sheen. [More]
Starring: Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Sinise, Vinnie Jones
Starring: Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Sinise, Vinnie Jones, Charlie Sheen, Sara Foster, Bebe Neuwirth, Harry Dean Stanton, Willie Nelson, Andrew Wilson
Director: George Armitage
Director: George Armitage
Screenwriter: Sebastian Gutierrez
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Reviews for The Big Bounce
The Big Bounce smacks of one of those films that, after sitting on some studio shelf too long, was hastily re-edited to get a PG-13 rating and then stuffed with filler material to beef it up to 88 minutes.
Although it lacks the flair and edgy wit of Miami Blues, The Big Bounce is an unpretentious and funny caper comedy that gives you far more bang for your buck than most of the dreck currently playing at the neighborhood multiplex.
The Big Bounce struggles in every scene to capture Leonard's unique tone -- something that must be harder than it looks, since so many have tried and failed.
You have to admire any movie that can convince you congenital milksop Owen Wilson is a charming, roguish criminal, and The Big Bounce goes about that subterfuge the right way.
The movie is all over the place, never jelling into anything sharp or intriguing or funny.
Bland adaptation of Elmore Leonard caper comedy with some fun performances but no zest or heat.
The movie is as pleasant as a sea breeze, but it slacks in the substance department.
So utterly inconsequential it fades from memory long before it's even over.
The character of Jack is just a walking attitude, and the movie feels like a slapped-together joke.
The Big Bounce isn't offensive, or even terrible. It's just lazy, relying on numb moviegoers to fork over cash thinking they'll see the next Get Shorty or Out of Sight.
There may once have been a real movie rattling inside the empty studio package known as The Big Bounce, but no longer.
There is so little urgency to the con that it's easy to forget the set-up or to care who's getting conned, how or by whom.
The movie often feels content to be smugly second-rate: sun-stoned, underachieving and proud of it.
The Big Bounce has all the earmarks of a project that has been laundered more times than the developer's money.
Latest News for The Big Bounce
July 13, 2006:
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This week at the movies, we've got some unwanted houseguests, in the guise of a guy with a bad case of arrested development ("You, Me and Dupree," starring Owen... More...
September 01, 2005:
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Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, and Mickey Rourke have been tapped by the Weinstein brothers to star in "Killshot," which is an adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel, says... More...
May 06, 2005:
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Still a little bit uncertain about this new "Dukes of Hazzard" movie? Well then head on over to Yahoo! Movies and give the all-new trailer a peek. You might love it or... More...
September 17, 2002:
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
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