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Critics Consensus: Wonderful adaptation of the stage play.
Critic Consensus: Wonderful adaptation of the stage play.
All Critics (78) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (21) | DVD (4)
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.
A ponderous stage adaptation that expends only the mildest effort to overcome its staginess.
There's a vital play struggling to emerge from this mess, but it hasn't been written yet.
You probably don't need to run out to a theater to see The Big Kahuna.
It makes exactly the point that is the opposite of the point it thought it was making: Acting isn't enough.
The destination is well worth the sometimes baffling and tedious journey.
It doesn't matter how much he pirouettes, paces, prowls and postures, there's something just a tad too effete about Spacey's performance to make Larry as dangerous a presence as he needs to be.
Sometimes profanely funny, sometimes intensely dramatic, The Big Kahuna is a richly amusing and provocatively insightful film that builds to a profoundly powerful cumulative impact.
Giving actors a chance to act seems to be the point...
At our best, we admit our faults. And we admit that others, no matter how different, have something to teach us. What a surprising thing to learn from a film.
...worth watching just for the performances...
You get the feeling that The Big Kahuna would be great in-the-round theater, its ambiguous machinations benefiting from feeding off of a live audience. As filmed, however, it's just three characters waiting for a story.
Larry Mann: Did you mention perhaps what line of industrial lubricants Jesus would have endorsed? "Every sale begins with a smile." The Big Kahuna is one of those one room, all dialogue movies. If you can't take a lot of conversation in movies, this is definitely not for you. That's all it is. Three guys in a hospitality room at a hotel talking. They are salesmen for industrial lubricants and they are having a convention in which they will try to land a big time client. Two of the three are veterans, the third is a young newbie to the scene. The young one is also a religious man who let's his views on Jesus show more than his views on salesmanship. There's no real plot to be seen in The Big Kahuna. There's ideas and there's a lot of good dialogue, but not real plot. That isn't necessarily a bad thing either. I like movies like this as long as they can find a way to be entertaining. I liked The Big Kahuna enough. Kevin Spacey is terrific in roles like this where he can talk a lot and on occasion scream. He's definitely the selling point for the whole film. Add Danny Devito to the mix and everything gets a little more interesting, even though there's not that much going on that I'd consider interesting.
Super Reviewer
Wonderful! A simple and terrific film that is very well written and bring three good actors. Fresh.
I dont get it! Like its a good movie if you base it on Spaceys an Devitos acting and the fact it is wel written in the comedy part wth a few really good laugh out loud moments and the story is ok i understand there after a big sale but i dont understand why a guy whose really religious would ignore his job and talk about religion ? it just started to irritate me, i mean yes the story is good but i just dont see the point in the religious freak who thinks its more important to speak and spread thje word of god rather than try and get this sale by talking about lubricant which is his job! i just dont get it ! Apart from that its a funny movie but nothing more!
Well written and acted dialogue-driven film, something rare these days, about the dog-eats-dog world of big company business. It does get preachy towards the end, and way too religious, but it's still an enjoyable ride. With the 3 leads very spot on in their roles.
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