The Big Kahuna

Released 1999
Stars Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Peter Facinelli
Directed by John Swanbeck

"The Big Kahuna" is about a trio of industrial lubricant salesmen at a convention in Wichita. It's based on a play, and 99% of the film is confined to one hotel room. Sometimes a one-set film can be claustrophobic, but I don't think it matters when there's good dialogue. It definitely doesn't matter here, because this film is full of good dialogue. The conversation sounds too sharp for actual people at times, but it doesn't sound phony like David Mamet's work. I enjoy Mamet, but I always feel his writing sounds unnatural. The first salesman of the trio is Phil (Danny DeVito), who has passed 50 and knows he's past his peak. The second is Larry (Kevin Spacey), who's driven and cynical, and the last is Bob. Bob is the young pup, who's wide-eyed and deeply religious. The movie starts with Bob asking Phil if he has character in his face. Of course, he's too young for that, and he wonders if he'll have it at Phil's age. Then Larry bursts onto the scene full of nervous energy and angry bluster.

Summary by Bill Alward, April 29, 2002

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