Big Bounce, The - Widescreen  (2004)

Starring: Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman, Sara Foster, et al.

Director: George Armitage

Rating: PG-13

Distributor: Warner Home Video

Release Date: July 20, 2004
Review posted: July 20, 2004

Spoilers: None

Reviewed by Jon Bjorling

SYNOPSIS

Jack Ryan (Wilson), a surf loving petty thief, has given an opportunity to score big. A beautiful woman (Foster) has come to him with a proposition that will make the both of them rich. All he needs to do is walk into a certain house poor, and walk out rich. Simple as that. Or is it?

CRITIQUE

Based on an Elmore Leonard novel, The Big Bounce is a funny little crime caper. Like other Leonard adaptations before it (Get Shorty, Out of Sight), Big Bounce is filled with unique characters, all of whom have their own hidden agendas.

Owen Wilson is a blast as Jack, the petty criminal who doesn’t really want to make the score, but has nothing really better to do with his time. Morgan Freeman’s (one of my absolute favorite actors) Walker, a property owning judge, seems to know everything that is happening on the island, but never acts like it. Sara Foster’s Nancy, a young troublemaker who uses her sexuality to play all the sides, is a sweet girl and good in her first movie role. The cast is really good; everyone holds their own and makes the film an enjoyable watch.

The film does have a problem though. Because everyone, it seems, is in on the score, the film seems to just lose itself. You don’t know who to trust (in this sort of film, there needs to be at least one trustworthy person.) With so many characters out to backstab each other I found myself growing confused as to who was allied to whom and who wanted what and so on.

Aside from the confusion that occurs at the end, the film is very nice. Those who love crime stories, love comedy, or love Leonard will enjoy the film.

THE VIDEO

The video transfer is really good; there is no noticeable grain at all. The colors are rich and the black levels are consistent. There is no digital artifacting (at least, not that I could tell.) It’s a nice looking presentation.

THE AUDIO

The film is presented in Dolby 5.1 surround in both English and French. The sound mix is standard, nothing special to speak of. The dialogue is clear, rather than being buried underneath the soundtrack. Standard stuff.

THE EXTRAS

The Big Bounce lacks in the extras department, alright. Three short segments, no commentary, nothing in depth at all. It’s a shame.

The Big Bounce - A Con in the Making: A short making of segment. Mostly made up of “how much I like working with so and so” interviews. Nothing informative.

Surfing the Pipeline - Surfing in the Aloha State: A very short look at the shooting of the surfing scenes in the film.

Wicked Ways: The surfing footage that was shot. This has some really cool-looking shots from inside some waves, but it’s all just filler material.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, this is just a bare bones DVD. It’s a good rental disc, but offers very little to movie fanatics who want to know everything about the making of the film. The Big Bounce is an enjoyable film for those who are interested in harmless comedy capers.

VERDICT: RENT IT

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