'Big Kahuna,' 'Any Given Sunday' new on video

The Big Kahuna

By Scott Hettrick

(Universal, VHS priced for rental, DVD $26.98, rated R) 1999.
Directed by John Swanbeck; starring Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito and Peter Facinelli.

Kevin Spacey seems incapable of delivering a less than dynamic performance, or choosing a film that does not offer scintillating dialogue. Both are once again pulled off in "The Big Kahuna," a riveting stage-like, dialogue-driven drama that offers the same kind of acerbic banter and dark undertones as the stage-based "Death of a Salesman" and "Glengarry Glen Ross," the latter of which also starred Spacey.

	NEW VIDEO RELEASES
Releasing week of August 27: Any Given Sunday The Big Kahuna Girl I Dreamed of Africa Dish Dogs Held Up The Next Best Thing 3 Strikes The Ultimate Attractions With Friends Like These Princess Mononoke Deterrence The List Psychopath Third World Cop Rapid Assault Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolf Man Archie's Weird Mysteries: Archie & The Riverdale Vampires

Like those movies, "The Big Kahuna" revolves around the lives of struggling salesman. This time Spacey plays a fast-talking, blunt, demanding partner of an older and nearly burned-out marketing rep (Danny DeVito) for a lubricant products company. The two find themselves stuck in a modest hotel in Wichita for a convention, where they hope to lure a man to their undersized suite; he potentially could be their biggest client ever.

As is often the case in these kinds of stories, the story of a lost sale is simply the catalyst for a deeper personal story, and ultimately of the reflection on a career and life full of masked disappointments that emerges through some vicious verbal attacks.

There is not a single character in this movie other than the three co-stars (Peter Facinelli plays the defenseless young rookie accountant), all of whom give brilliant performances.

It's only in the film's final moments when the story's energy starts to peter out. Although it's a relief to see that the ending does not approach the dour final moments of "Death of a Salesman," this one does feel anti-climactic, unrealistic and not fulfilling dramatically.

Any Given Sunday

(Warner, VHS priced for rental, rated R) 1999.
Release date: Friday, September 1. Directed by Oliver Stone; starring Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, James Woods, LL Cool J, Jim Brown and Charlton Heston.

The most notable and compelling element of Oliver Stone's latest movie comes at the very end, during the closing credits. Without giving too much away, viewers are advised not to push the stop button too quickly, because Al Pacino's football coach character has a follow-up scene that completely changes the ending and the tone of the movie and your opinion of his character. This is a strange and brave move on the part of Stone, something that is not in evidence throughout the rest of the 2-1/2-hour movie.

Football fans will be disappointed at how unrealistic the team uniforms, stadiums and players look, and at the annoying MTV-style cinematography and editing that keeps the viewer so disoriented that it is impossible to keep up with the game situation.

Performances by Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx and others, including a bunch of real-life former football stars, are satisfactory, but none stand out as particularly memorable. This is no "North Dallas Forty" or even a "The Longest Yard."

(c) 2000, Scott Hettrick. Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate.

Review: 'The Big Kahuna' sells itself short
May 11, 2000
Jamie Foxx huddles on 'Any Given Sunday'
December 29, 1999
Review: 'Any Given Sunday' fumbles the ball
December 24, 1999

The Big Kahuna

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