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"The
'Big' Picture"
by Scott Mantz
"The Big Kahuna"
Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito,
Peter Facinelli
Directed by John Swanbeck
The life of
a traveling salesman is definitely not as glamorous as it seems.
Oh sure, you get to see the country, stay in nice hotels, and eat
expensive dinners, but the fact is, it's a lonely and miserable
existence that gets old really fast. Even if you do get a chance
to meet people on the road, conversation is usually limited to more
trivial matters, like business, sports, or current events. That's
definitely not the case in "The Big Kahuna", a touching, reflective,
and powerfully acted film that really makes you think about your
place in life. In fact, when you consider that most of the film
takes place in one room, it makes the end result that much more
remarkable.
Larry (Kevin
Spacey), Phil (Danny DeVito), and Bob (Peter Facinelli) are in Wichita,
KS, to attend a big convention on industrial lubricants (sounds
like fun, right?). They convene in the hospitality suite of their
hotel to discuss their game plan, which is to land one major client,
"the big kahuna", or they can forget about going home. The three
men may have the same agenda, but they couldn't be any more different.
Larry is the confident and seasoned sales rep who knows what it
means to "always be closing", Phil's recent divorce has led him
to seriously contemplate his professional future, and Bob is the
uptight new kid on the block who has a lot to learn. As they mull
around their suite and plan their strategy, the conversation turns
philosophical as these men re-evaluate their priorities in life.
If the concept
of watching three men as they sit around and talk for 90 minutes
doesn't appeal to you, then don't bother. However, if you're in
the mood for a reflective and thought-provoking film that contains
top-notch acting, then this one's for you. Think of "The Big Kahuna"
as "Glengarry Glen Ross" meets "The Breakfast Club", and you get
the idea. Where "Glengarry" examined the motivation behind the men
who are defined by their jobs, "Kahuna" goes one step further to
consider why they took these jobs in the first place.
The fact that
the film has the look and feel of a stage presentation makes perfect
sense, since it was adapted from the appropriately-named stage play
"Hospitality Suite". Director John Swanbeck is careful not to expand
the film into a big Hollywood-style production. He knows that the
strength is in the material, and he lets his actors go for it.
It's easy to
see why Kevin Spacey jumped at the chance to produce "Kahuna". Not
only did it contain 3 excellent performance-driven characters, but
one of them was a role that he was born to play. Clearly, Larry
is the strongest character, and he has the best lines in the film.
He may bear a slight resemblance to the screaming producer that
he played in "Swimming With Sharks", but he has a lot less bite
and a lot more heart. He simply knows his job very well, and he's
more than happy to share his wisdom with anyone who will listen
(and even those who won't). Still, beneath his cool, cocky, and
arrogant exterior, there lies a man who is honest and trustworthy.
The big surprise
here is Danny DeVito, who puts in the most heartfelt and touching
performance of his career. Like Spacey, he also knows his job very
well, but unlike Spacey, he's had it. He's tired of the travel,
and he's tired of the rat race, but most of all, he's tired of his
life. He's got some big decisions to make, but he's too close to
see the forest through the trees. He needs to shine some light down
onto the darkness of the valley so he can find his way out. Peter
Facinelli (who bears a striking resemblance to a young Tom Cruise)
does a fine job of holding his own against seasoned vets like Spacey
and DeVito. He's more than just a babe in the woods. He's naive
to a fault, and he needs to make some mistakes in life before he
can truly learn something about himself.
Sure, these
guys are on a mission to land a major client, but they're on an
even bigger mission to land themselves. In the film's most reflective
scene, DeVito points out the need to have regrets in life, because
only through those regrets can you truly appreciate the other choices
you've made. There's definitely some truth to that, but perhaps
"regrets" may be too strong of a word. After all, everything that
we've done in our lives--the good things and the bad things--have
made us who we are today. If we're happy, or even if we're striving
to reach that happiness, how can you regret that?
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