Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I know next to nothing about this film, except that we just got in two reviews of it from different spies. Check it out:
Greetings Harry,
Last night I attended a test screening in Orange County of The Big Empty. This is the debut? film from director/writer Steve Anderson. Jon Favreau stars as John Person, a struggling L.A. actor. He's had two commercials and a sitcom that was cancelled after 3 episodes. He knows his big break is right around the corner, meanwhile, the years have slipped by, and he's $27,000 in credit card debt. Imagine his character from Swingers, without the support of friends like Vince Vaughn. Person is a lonely man. The only friend he seems to have, is his neighbor Grace, played by Joey Lauren Adams, as they talk to each other standing in their respective doorways.
One night he is approached by the strange Neely (Bud Cort), who it seems has been watching John, and knows very personal info about him. He offers to erase his debt if he delivers a blue suitcase. He has to defend it with his life, but he cannot open it, or know of its contents. He has to leave at ten tonight and drive to Baker, where the mysterious Cowboy will accept it from him. When John arrives at the designated motel, he finds out that he just missed Cowboy, and must wait for his return. The majority of the film deals with his interactions with the locals, while waiting for Cowboy. To go further into it would reveal too much, but there is murder, aliens, and a bowling bag with a secret.
The acting in this is all top notch. While this role is not a stretch for Favreau, he's always fun to watch. The audience cheered at his first appearance, and I think part of his appeal is that you would like to have him as your friend, he's a great everyman. For me, one of the standout supporting players was Elron, the motel clerk. Jon Gries hilariously steals the scenes between Elron and John. Adam Beach also stands out as Randy. He's one of those guys who is crazy/jealous, and will start a bar fight if he even thinks you looked at his girl. I've met guys like Randy before, and thought Beach painted a complete picture of who this guy is, with what little we're given. Kelsey Grammer is fun as Agent Banks... and no, not Cody Banks, the other one, who works for the F.B.I., and his first scene with Favreau was a good one. Rachel Leigh Cook is the local hottie, and looks great in this. I almost didn't recognize the bar owner, Daryl Hannah. I can't wait to see her in Kill Bill, since she looked sexy as hell in this, but didn't have much to do. Melora Walters is also good as the prostitute, Candy, but again, it was not much bigger than a cameo. Sean Bean's casting was kind of a waste in this, but I can see why they did it.
I really enjoyed the look and music of the film. Really sets the mood for the dusty town of Baker. The plot moved along for the majority of the movie, but when Person begins to get the answers it starts to drag in the last 20 minutes. A lot of questions are raised, and we're never really given a true answer. I'm not one of those people who needs everything spelled out for me, and I do enjoy films that leave you with your own interpretations, but this had too many weird elements that are never fully explained. Another disappointment was the character of Cowboy. It's kind of like a monster movie, where you finally see the monster, and it's not as scary as you imagined. A big set up with him, and no real payoff. I wouldn't have built him up so much, or not show him as much if I did. I am still trying to dissect the director's intentions. What is the big empty? Is it the spot in the desert where alien abductions are rumored to take place? Is it our planet? Is it our lives? It could easily be our main character's life. Look at his name, John Person. Nothing special about that. His life's going nowhere, and he has chance to add something to it. Elron. Is that a nod to L. Ron Hubbard? A mysterious suitcase and band aids on the neck...hmm, wasn't that in Pulp Fiction? The director seems to be throwing a lot of different elements into this, like Repo Man, Waiting for Godot, After Hours, X-Files, & The Big Lebowski. It will be a hard movie to market since it is so different. The bigwigs were at the showing, and didn't looked thrilled that it was getting "good" marks from everyone, and not "excellents". While I enjoy a blockbuster hit, like everyone else, there still need to be movies like this, that are quirky and offbeat. This was a work in progress, so maybe that can be fixed with some editing. I see this as one of those films that doesn't make a splash at the box office, but eventually finds its audience, who discuss the symbolism of the bowling, or characters' blue eyes, over their Mocha Lattes or bong hits.
Call me Fudgehammer, and keep up the good work!
What Fudgehammer didn’t realize is that this has already played at least one festival, this year’s Sundance, so I don’t know if it was a “test” screening he saw, or just one to help determine how to sell the film. Our next spy knew what was up, though, and didn’t seem to like it at all:
Saw a sneak preview of Sundance favorite, The Big Empty in Orange County tonight. The obvious joke is to comment on the title of the film, how empty the narrative and characters are, but that might be the point of this movie. The story revolves around Jon Favreau as John Person, (Person, get the bad symbolism?,) a failed actor turned courier. A beat up Bud Cort easily convinces Person to take a mysterious suitcase to Baker California for enough money to pay off his credit card debts. Person then travels to the desert, home of the Bun Boy hotel and meets all the cliché stock characters. The wacky hotel owner with a metal plate in his head, the hooker without the heart of gold, Rachel Lee Cook playing underage, possibly Alien Invasion girl (who looks like a cross between Winnie Cooper with her braids and Katie Holmes) and her off and on abuser boyfriend who’s always equipped with a shot gun for all conversations and likes to tie up RLC as many times as you call this story mundane. Also, Favreau’s character grandstands about domestic violence in one classic kitschy scene and likes to curse a lot while screaming in the desert for a cinematic long shot. If David Lynch, Gus Van Sant, or an Oliver Stone on mushrooms directed this, it could have been a great visual masturbation cult hit. Instead, it gives you great lines like, "I’m going to carve you up like a turkey." Or my favorite romantic exchange, "You’re not a boyscout" "You’re not a virgin."
The Big Empty is not dark enough, intriguing enough, not funny enough, not over the edge enough, it just jumps from genre to genre finally devolving into an Outer Limits episode about suitcases resembling Stonehedge with lost humans trying to find paradise with some strange Islamic overtones? Kelsey Grammar hams up his role as FBI Agent Banks (insert your own lame Frankie Muniz joke here) and is on the case for missing persons. Sean Bean plays the mysterious cowboy who is the missing link between the afterlife and bowling alleys. I shit you not. The very nice producer who was at the screening told me that people in Baker California, really act like this. Sometimes real life isn’t interesting. But what the hell do I know, I enjoy four hour Bollywood films about Cricket. I’m just trying to warn you, because Sundance liked it, doesn’t mean you will be in the mood for a Repo Man, U-turn knock off.
Oooooof. Harsh words, indeed. Sounds like the kind of film where reactions are all over the place. Thanks for writing in, guys.
"Moriarty" out.
