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Movies / On DVD / The Big Kahuna
The Big Kahuna

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The Big Kahuna (1999)

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Reviews Counted:21

Fresh:14

Rotten:7

Average Rating:6.3/10

Consensus: Wonderful adaptation of the stage play.

Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: First-time feature director John Swanbeck teams up with producer-actor Kevin Spacey for this big screen adaptation of Roger Rueff's play HOSPITALITY SUITE. The story concerns three lubricant... First-time feature director John Swanbeck teams up with producer-actor Kevin Spacey for this big screen adaptation of Roger Rueff's play HOSPITALITY SUITE. The story concerns three lubricant salesmen who have gathered in a Witchita, Kansas hotel room in order to throw a cocktail party for prospective buyers. They are Larry (Spacey), a harsh, cocky veteran; his partner Phil (Danny DeVito), a passive recovering alcoholic; and Bob (Peter Facinelli), a naïve new colleague whose ethics drive Larry into fits of disbelief. The trio waits for the night's arrivals--most specifically, "The Big Kahuna," a man so wealthy that he has the ability to single-handedly revive Larry and Phil's struggling careers. After the party, Larry and Phil are dumbfounded when they discover that Bob actually spoke to him, only their conversation consisted solely of religious dialogue. Larry sends Bob in search of "The Big Kahuna" with the order that he discuss business if he wants to remain employed. The subsequent hours provide each individual with the chance to exorcise his inner demons once and for all. Limited in its usage of locations, Rueff's big-screen adaptation of his play contains inspired performances from Spacey, DeVito, and Facinelli. [More]

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Danny De Vito, Peter Facinelli

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Danny De Vito, Peter Facinelli

Director: John Swanbeck

Director: John Swanbeck
Screenwriter: Roger Rueff
Producer: Elie Samaha, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Stevens
Composer: Christopher Young

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Aug 29, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Big Kahuna

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/17/08
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
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Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/25/03
Globe and Mail
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ebert & Roeper
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What a charge it is to see the way these three actors get loose and play off each other.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Graham
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle
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A well-acted if very stagy adaptation of Roger Rueff's play Hospitality Suite, The Big Kahuna offers lessons that might apply quite nicely to Arthur Miller's pathetic pavement pounder.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Vognar
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News
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Spacey and DeVito are at the top of their game.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
01/01/00
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Elvis Mitchell
Elvis Mitchell
New York Times
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It's smart, funny and insightful and it's quite easy to see what attracted the stars to it.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Ernest Hardy
Ernest Hardy
Film.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The performances are first-rate, particularly that of DeVito as The Big Kahuna's version of Willy Loman.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
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It's no meal, but it'll tide you over.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If you're prepared to accept an inherent staginess that gradually fades as the film progresses, you can become caught up in a drama of extraordinary power and insight.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
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The Big Kahuna is hardly more than a sketch or curtain-raiser.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
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Definitely worth a look.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
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A ponderous stage adaptation that expends only the mildest effort to overcome its staginess.

Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Mr. Showbiz
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sometimes good, or even almost-great acting, isn't enough.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
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You probably don't need to run out to a theater to see The Big Kahuna.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Paul Tatara
Paul Tatara
CNN.com
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N/R

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Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
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