# Big Kahuna, The (1999)

### reviewed by
Rose 'Bams' Cooper

    '3 Black Chicks Review...'

THE BIG KAHUNA (2000) Rated R; running time 91 minutes Genre: Dramady IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0189584 Official site: http://www.lionsgatefilms.com/thebigkahuna/index.htm Written by: Roger Rueff Directed by: John Swanbeck Cast: Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Peter Facinelli

Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2000 Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/bamskahuna.html

I walked into THE BIG KAHUNA not quite knowing what to expect--and came out realizing I had just watched 91 minutes filled with three guys jawjackin' about Life, The Universe, And Everything.

Bless its character-driven little heart.

The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**): The three primaries in THE BIG KAHUNA are industrial lubricant salesmen who've reached different stages of their lives: Bob Walker (Peter Facinelli) is still young and wet-behind-the-ears; as clean-cut as they come, Bob is an unabashed Christian who takes his faith and how it defines him, seriously--maybe a bit *too* seriously--to the point where it seems more a crutch than an aide. Larry Mann (Kevin Spacey), a fast-talking, cynical, take-no-prisoners sort, immediately challenges everything that Bob holds dear. And Phil Cooper (Danny DeVito) is weary of it all; having gone through a nasty divorce, and feeling useless, Phil is used to Larry's caustic nature, and has seen plenty of Bob-types before--but he has reached the point in his life where nothing surprises him anymore, and he wouldn't care even if it did.

While the men are waiting for an important client--a big kahuna--to visit them in a run-down hospitality suite in a run-down hotel deep in the heart of Wichita, the three discover things about themselves and each other that they never realized existed before.

The Upshot: You must know, straight off, three things about "Kahuna": first, it takes place almost entirely in the smallish suite that becomes the bane of Larry's existence in the time that he's there; second, what little plot there is revolves around the three men's search for Richard Fuller, the kahuna in question; and third, the movie is based on a play (HOSPITALITY SUITE) - and looks every bit like one. If you cannot get with that, then it's best to exit, stage right. As for me, in the waning days of one of the worst five months of movie releases in recent history, and on the cusp of summer's Big! Movie! Events!, a film like THE BIG KAHUNA - all talk, little plot, much character development - is just what the doctor ordered.

Obvious comparisons to GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS will be made, especially because Spacey was in both. And while "Glengarry" was in many ways a superior film, "Kahuna" has its charms as well; not the least of which is the fact that because of its smaller cast, we get to "know" these characters a wee bit more, especially the Phil character. Rumor has it that Kevin Spacey, one of the producers of THE BIG KAHUNA, talked Danny DeVito into co-starring in the movie under somewhat shady pretenses. After seeing DeVito's performance, I can say that the ends very much justified the means; shady pretenses or not, DeVito most def steals this particular show.

It's been a long time since I've seen DeVito so convincing in a role; known primarily as a comic actor (in flicks like ROMANCING THE STONE, WAR OF THE ROSES, and his TAXI TV series), not since his turn in L.A. CONFIDENTIAL has he impressed me as much as he did in "Kahuna". Hard as it is for me to believe, DeVito outdid even Kevin Spacey, easily one of my favorite modern-day actors. But don't be fooled; as Larry, Spacey was no slouch. It is to his credit that Spacey didn't play Larry like part two of his "Glengarry" character, or rest on the laurels of his Oscar win in last year's AMERICAN BEAUTY. A lesser actor might have done just that. Between Larry's snarkasm and Phil's I-don't-give-a-damn (but, really, I'd *like* to) attitude, "Kahuna" did a fine job of showing, in an exaggerated sense, the desperate measures taken by men who feel themselves defined as what they do rather than who they are--even if those measures are taken only in words.

Of the three men, the least interesting to me was Bob; Peter Facinelli was workable in the role, and definitely looked the All-American Boy part, but I like my characters with some fat on their cheeks and some world-weariness in their bones, thankyewverramuch. Which is, of course, The Point behind Bob's fascination with Phil; impressed by Phil's integrity of character (and, conversely, turned off by Larry's seeming lack of same), Bob sets out to create character lines in his own face as a reflection of what he sees in Phil. And of course, it ain't that easy. Hmmm...perhaps Bob was somewhat more interesting to me than I gave him credit for being.

To be sure, THE BIG KAHUNA had its faults. Seemingly running without focus for much of the first half, the viewer was left to wonder whether they were ever going to get to The Point before the end credits rolled. And during the first half of the first half, the emphasis seemed to be put on one-liners and cute schticks, especially from Larry/Spacey. But once Spacey's and especially DeVito's burners kicked in, "Kahuna" took off running, and brought audience members willing to make the effort to work with it, along for the ride. Humorous and intense--especially in the final bits--"Kahuna" is a refreshing, though challenging, change of pace from the typical summer Hollywood movie.

[Though I do have to wonder whether the guy in my audience that damn near busted a gut throughout, was a shill. Uh, doode, it wasn't that funny. Well, except for that "spoken word" song in the end credits, "Everybody's Free [To Wear Sunscreen]". Now *that* was worth a laugh or two].

I have to chuckle at the timeliness of this movie for me; in a few days, I'll be headed off to a computer-buyers convention, and very likely will be "wined and dined" by Phil, and Larry--and Bob--types, hoping to lube me up, so to speak, for my business. So does that make me a big kahuna? Lord, I hope not.

Bammer's Bottom Line: No, this "talkie" is not for everyone; but it worked for me. I loved THE BIG KAHUNA, for all the same reasons I loved its cousin-in-type, GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS. The real surprise for me was, I liked Danny DeVito in it even more than Kevin Spacey.

THE BIG KAHUNA (rating: greenlight): Easily one of the better of the "I could watch [insert kickbutt actor's name here] read the telephone book" group of films.

    Rose "Bams" Cooper                            /~\
    Webchick and Co-Editor,                      /','\
    3BlackChicks Review                         /','`'\
    Movie Reviews With Flava!                  /',',','/`,
    Copyright Rose Cooper, 2000                `~-._'c    /
    EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com                    `\   (
    http://www.3blackchicks.com/                     /====\

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