Cast: Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Peter Facinelli
Director: John Swanbeck
Producers: Kevin Spacey, Elie Samaha, Andrew Stevens
Screenplay: Roger Rueff, based on his play, "The Hospitality Suite"
Cinematography: Anastas N. Michos
Music: Christopher Young
U.S. Distributor: Lions Gate Films
For Kevin Spacey, The Big Kahuna represents a new challenge: producing. This film, based on Roger Rueff's play, "The Hospitality Suite," is the first feature produced by Spacey's new company, Trigger Street Productions. And, with the movie rolling into theaters only a month after Spacey won his second Academy Award, the timing couldn't be better. Spacey's involvement in the project will inevitably boost The Big Kahuna's visibility (and probably its box office take, as well).
Those who are attracted to plot-oriented motion pictures will find this movie to be a few steps short of stultifying. The Big Kahuna is driven entirely by character development and dialogue. There's a setup, but no story to speak of. Three salesmen for Lodestar Laboratories are operating a hospitality suite on the top floor of a hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Their goal is to attract the attention of "The Big Kahuna" - a corporation president who may have interest in buying Lodestar's industrial lubricants. But, as the evening wears on, it becomes clear that these three men may have different agendas.
Performances dominate this intimate piece. Bob, the youngest member of the Lodestar trio, is played by up-and-coming actor Peter Facinelli, whose most visible role to date was as the psycho killer in Supernova (he also played the bad boy in Can't Hardly Wait). Facinelli does an effective job conveying Bob's sense of arrogant superiority. He's a deeply religious man who never questions his beliefs and has a tendency to view others with a hint of condescension. Spacey plays Larry, the most driven of the three - someone who sees his entire future with the company married to this potential sale. Finally, there's Danny DeVito's Phil, a man on the far side of middle age who is beginning to view life from an existential perspective. Although Spacey's performance is the most dynamic and showy, DeVito's introspective turn as Phil represents The Big Kahuna's best work. Despite being known primarily as a comic actor, DeVito is more than capable of handling a dramatic part. Consider Living Out Loud, for example, where his character was an emotional cousin to Phil.
From early in the evening until well past midnight, we see these characters trading jabs, exchanging stories, and reflecting on what is meaningful to them. Each represents a distinct stage in life. Bob is the callow youth - brimming with self-confidence and certain that his path is the right one. Larry is more mature in his outlook, but he is no less driven than Bob. However, while the younger man's motivator is religious zeal, Larry's impetus is a need to land the client. Because they are so alike in many ways, a clash is inevitable. Finally, there's Phil, who was once much like Larry, but now is growing older and weary. The fire has gone out. He chews over his regrets and thinks about better times. By default, he becomes the referee in the philosophical struggle between Bob and Larry. When it comes to an outlook on life, the men span the spectrum: Bob is an idealist, Larry is a cynic, and Phil is a pragmatist.
The movie is essentially a series of conversations, and the subject matter ranges from one end of the human experience to the other. Most of the topics are interesting (although there are exceptions). While this is not Glengarry Glenn Ross, it's possible to hear echoes of David Mamet in Roger Rueff's words. The Big Kahuna makes an interesting comparison between evangelizing and marketing - a point that is repeatedly re-enforced as we are shown what a good salesman Bob is when promoting his views. The high point of the movie is Phil's fatherly lecture to Bob, in which he discusses the nature of character and rips a small hole in the younger man's previously impervious outlook on life.
The Big Kahuna starts brilliantly and ends brilliantly, but there is a bit of a sag in the middle. With a few minor exceptions, the entire movie unfolds in one room, and the production's theatrical origins are evident. Director John Swanbeck, making his big-screen debut, and cinematographer Anastas Michos do their best to make the experience visually interesting, but there are limits to what can be accomplished in such a confined locale. The Big Kahuna is not the most visually dynamic motion picture. Then again, odd camera angles and other such trickery would have detracted from the performances, which are the movie's foundation.
The Big Kahuna concludes on an ambiguous note that invites the viewer to assess what happens next. While not as ingenious (or, some would argue, maddening) as the end of John Sayles' Limbo, this final scene will aggravate anyone who likes to have all of the loose ends tied into one neat package. It all comes down to how you view the characters and what you think a smile means.
Although Spacey's top billing will undoubtedly attract a larger crowd to The Big Kahuna than might otherwise see a movie like this, it is still unlikely to become a theatrical success. However, the film may find its audience when it reaches videotape and DVD. In fact, because of the nature of the production and the way it is presented, it will be an ideal choice for home viewing. (Frequent close-ups, a hallmark of The Big Kahuna's visual approach, often play better on TV.) Regardless of the medium in which it is seen, The Big Kahuna's twin strengths of solid performances and substantive dialogue will remain a constant.
© 2000 James Berardinelli