The Big Empty

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source: The Big Empty

This is a movie for people who like acting. I like acting and actors. this is just a goofy movie that is okay to like and not criticize all over the place. This is a movie for lovers of the "acting craft", such as it is. It is a work in progress. Actors act-writers write. This ain't television. It ain't finished. It is a gift of love-to and from- actors. All the actors of this fine round world will LOVE the gift we watch on the screen all during this fine "acting" movie. It ain't perfect. But, just look at John Gries. He is so perfect. Look at Jon Favreau. Perfect. Rachel Leigh Cook is a delicious coquette of perfection. Kelsey Grammar just "kills" as the FBI agent. Adam Beach just goes all over the road, in his thrilling portrayal of The Psychotic Lover. The Plot, however fantastic, or disjointed, is a fine attempt of a movie. If it fails, it still gives the viewer a gift. A Gift of Art.

The Big Empty is one of the best movies (of the quirky plot and characters with lots of unanswered questions type) that I have seen for a fair while. Coincidence, or landing strip for Martians (?), but I think the last movie of this type that I really enjoyed was "The Big Lebowski". If you think about it, there are a lot of similarities in there: the title, great one liners, great acting, humour, copious amounts of symbolism, bowling, cowboys, whackos, weirdoes, titillation, etc., and a great story about ordinary people having extraordinary experiences. I love these sorts of movies (ones that you have to watch multiple times to even start to get everything that's in them) and The Big Empty is an exceptionally good example of this kind of movie. I'm not going to discuss any part of the plot, direction, or acting in this post. I just reckon it's a bloody ripper! I give it a 9/10 on the IMDb scale. Cheers, Bear

I am a Rachael Leigh Cook fan, but man does this film blow! A marginally sympathetic out-of-work actor played by a miscast Jon Favreau hires himself out to deliver a mysterious suitcase to someone in Baker, California. Of course, nothing goes as planned, and before long Favreau runs into a parade of eccentric characters who seem to have stepped out of every bad American indie film from the past ten years. Cook looks fetching, but has little to do other than to get tied up and berated by her jealous boyfriend (Adam Beach in a thankless and nonsensical role). There's a lot of strange goings-on, but since we couldn't care less about any of these inane people, the confused and derivative plot (see REPO MAN and U-TURN) leads us to nowhere but a big fat empty (theater, hopefully).

I appreciated almost everything about this film; the cinematography, the direction the soundtrack etc. If I had to name one specific aspect of the project that seemed to stand out, it would be Jon Gries' portrayal of Elron; his (Gries') performance was phenomenal! The negative points of this movie could be more quickly stated than the positives because, in my opinion, there are very few negatives associated with this film. I enjoy movies where there is a little room for interpretation as a result of the use of symbolism. The symbolism is not so complex that it makes the movie confusing, it just gives the viewers something to discuss after viewing this title. "The Big Empty" is a keeper! I have watched it several times and find something new with each viewing! So, if you get a chance, buy, rent or borrow this film then sit back, watch, discuss and enjoy!! 8/10

"The Big Empty" is not only the title of this movie, it's also an apt description of it. Telling of a struggling actor who runs an errand to a desert town in California for some paranormal weirdo only to become embroiled in a bunch of nonsense which goes no where, this lame comedy is packed with some quality acting talent from the B-list and little else. Cost cutting is evident everywhere and the novelty in this quirkfest's screenplay wears thin at the mid-point only to sink into oblivion as the end draws near. Not worth the price of a DVD rental this darkish comedy with sci-fi overtones is best saved for broadcast where it will be in the company of its kindred. (C)

The two dozen or so people who liked it have given their comments and said not to listen to the critics, who didn't. I say, "Listen to those critics!" I watched it with my daughter's boyfriend. At the end, we looked at each other and went, "Huh?" There are many things wrong with it. None of these things are fatal individually: taken together, doom is inevitable. They include confusing plot, unresolved plot points, lack of exposition, slow story telling, irrelevant subplots, and lack of credibility (which is quite something given the subject matter - imagine how utterly unconvincing a film must be if you start out being prepared to suspend your disbelief about aliens, and you end up thinking the whole film is a bunch of preposterous claptrap). A wonderfully eclectic cast is wasted on this mess. What on earth did they think they were doing? If the pitch reflected the finished article, I can't imagine how anyone was persuaded to put up the money to make it.

I love this movie! Unlike most recycled studio films these days, this film is a genre defying story with memorable characters, terrific dialogue, and a fascinating twist that leaves you thinking for days. With an incredible indie cast, beautifully shot, I throughly enjoyed every minute. The soundtrack is great as well, reminding me of some of the things that made the Pulp Fiction and Oh Brother Where Art Thou? soundtracks among my all time favorites. Jon Favreau, Sean Bean and Jon Gries deliver standout performances with Rachael Leigh Cook, Joey Lauren Adams, Adam Beach, Daryl Hannah and Kelsey Grammer providing terrific acting chops as well. This is a must see movie among the clutter of recycled story lines which seem to plague movie theaters these days.

I feel so guilty writing a negative review of an independent film with a plot that include alien conspiracies and Sean Bean but I feel overwhelmingly compelled to. Being a fan of such films as Donnie Darko and Mulholland Drive I was desperate to find another film in a similar vein. Lots of symbolism and a plot that makes you think, plus interesting characters is what The Big Empty needs, then it might be a bit similar to Donnie or Mulholland. The problem is that this film is pretentious- apparent symbolism is included just for effect- in order to look wierd and make people say 'i wonder what that represents?'. It doesn't represent or mean anything clever or interesting- I guess that means it isn't even symbolism. And don't expect Coen Brothers-esque comedy or dialogue. 90% of this film involves seeing a slow lingering shot of a very big face as he slowly furrows his brow and prepares to state the bloody obvious. I cannot begin to describe how tedious this film is, the dialogue goes so slowly and with so little purpose that it will have you wishing that something, anything, interesting would happen. Most of the characters have no purpose- their scenes are entirely superfluous to the narrative progression. I spent ages waiting for Sean Bean to show up and it was good to see him but he couldn't rescue this film. There is a very, very slim chance that the below par, X-Files 'inspired' plot will interest you and there are perhaps two good jokes in the film. However, if within the first five minutes you find yourself doubting whether you can stand watching his bloody big head for the next couple of hours, just turn it off. You won't miss anything.