# Excess Baggage (1997)

### reviewed by
E. Benjamin Kelsey

    EXCESS BAGGAGE
    (PG-13)

    Directed by Marco Brambilla
    Running Time: 101 minutes
    Originally Released: August 29, 1997

    Reviewed by E. Benjamin Kelsey

    * * (out of four)

Alicia Silverstone - you either love her or hate her. That could make all the difference in your interpretation of EXCESS BAGGAGE. If you love her, you'll have no problem sitting thru 100+ minutes of fluff just to look at her, but if you hate her, those same 100+ minutes are going to be excruciating.

EXCESS BAGGAGE stars Alicia Silverstone as Emily T. Hope, a whiny, bratty, but ignored daughter of multi-millionaire Alexander Hope (Jack Thompson). In an effort to obtain any form of attention from her father, Emily engages in a wide array of stunts and pranks that usually get her in trouble. Emily knows no discipline. In fact, she seems rather proud of her wild antics, even going to the extent of framing newspaper articles about the disasters she personally choreographs. As the film begins, Emily is up to yet another prank. This time, she has faked her own kidnapping and is leading her father on a wild goose chase. After he drops off the one-million dollar ransom, she informs him over the phone, with an altered voice, that she can be found in the trunk of her car in a parking terrace.

Emily proceeds to bond herself with tape and handcuffs and stuff herself in the trunk of her BMW, which means that if you're into bondage as well as Silverstone, you're in for a real treat. One problem occurs: a car-thief named Vincent (Benicio Del Toro) comes along and does what he does best, stealing the car and unknowingly abducting Emily. Vincent takes his "catch" back to a warehouse full of other costly sports cars, but his curiosity is soon peaked when noise is heard coming from the trunk. Slowly he approaches the car and pops open the trunk, quickly slamming it back shut when he sees the blonde bound bimbo.

Vincent panics and calls his conniving accomplice, Greg (Harry Connick, Jr.) from a nearby coffee shop. Vincent returns to the warehouse to wait for Greg, only to find that Emily has escaped the trunk. He continuously promises not to hurt her as she beats the crap out of him, but he finally gets her under control and locks her in the bathroom. When Greg arrives, they come to the conclusion that the best answer is to simply take Emily off somewhere and leave her. This proves to be a more difficult task than Vincent thought as he attempts to get the ever-so-non-compliant Emily in the car. Finally he does, and the two set out on a long, tension filled ride.

When Vincent drops Emily off on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, he breathes a sigh of relief. Up the road, however, he stops at a gas station and sees the report on the news, learning that Emily is the daughter of a multi-millionaire and that the cops are on his trail. Unsure of what to do, he finds Emily and picks her up again, taking her along as he tries to come to a conclusion for this unbelievable mishap. Emily, whose life hasn't seemed to mean much to anyone, doesn't object to accompanying Vincent, but she also doesn't make it easy on him, consantly bickering and complaining about his every more.

Vincent and Emily are the odd couple who will inevitably fall for each other and become a team as opposed to the original kidnapper/kidnappee relationship. The two travel around, trying to avoid the police, Emily's uncle Ray (Christopher Walkin) who has been the closest thing to a father-figure in Emily's life, and a pair of angry thugs (including Nicolas Turturro) who are out to collect on the Emily's well-to-do background.

The idea behind EXCESS BAGGAGE is quite charming, but the actors and script don't allow it to bloom into the delightful film it could've been. Alicia Silverstone is so bland and whiny that you won't be able to like her, and Benicio Del Toro seems to have taken a heavy dose of sleeping pills before every take. Most of the time, Del Toro mumbles unintelligible phrases as though he's awaking from a ten year coma. The rest of the cast, with the possible exception of Harry Connick, Jr., are used like parsley - they're simply there to add to the appearance, not to the overall item. Connick can be commended for trying, but that's about all he has the chance to do.

EXCESS BAGGAGE can probably easily find a market among teenagers, particulary younger hormone raging teenagers. It's not the worst, but it does turn out overly conventional. It's not worth wasting your time - unless you're seriously into Alicia Silverstone in handcuffs.

    December 18, 1997

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