The Big Bounce (2004)

When I first heard about The Big Bounce – another Elmore Leonard novel being turned into a movie – it immediately went straight to the top of my must-see list. Besides being a fan of Elmore Leonard novels, I’m also a fan of the films that have been made out of his novels (Get Shorty (1995), Out of Sight, etc.).

For some reason, I never got around to seeing The Big Bounce in theaters, which meant I just had to pick it up when it hit DVD. So, would this be yet another good film, or had Hollywood played Elmore out?

There are a large amount of big names in The Big Bounce (apparently because famous people want to be in an Elmore Leonard film – suprise, actors are starting to get smart): Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Sinise, Bebe Neuwirth, Vinnie Jones…even ex-Heidi Fleiss-er Charlie Sheen! They all did a great job at portraying the complex characters they were given.

The biggest surprise (if you’ve seen the TV show “Two and a Half Men” anyway) was Charlie Sheen. He actually was able to give viewers a glimpse of the old Charlie – ya know, the funny one? His scenes with Owen Wilson were high comedic points in the flim.

Newcomer Sara Foster was able to hold her own amidst all the star power – an astonishing feat for a newbie.

Owen Wilson was able to redeem himself, somewhat, in the viewers’ eyes after his abysmal turn in the recent Starsky & Hutch (2004). Maybe this film will help reintroduce Hollywood to the notion that a good plot helps its’ actors give better performances…but most likely, it’ll take more than one film to draw Hollywood away from the flash-bang and concentrate more on substance.

The Big Bounce, like most of Elmore Leonard’s novels, was complex yet surprisingly easy to follow. It could’ve quite easily turned into a confusing mess with so many players and different situations occuring simultaneously. If you’ve ever read an Elmore Leonard novel, you know he’s at his best in these situations, and luckily the director was able to translate this to the screen nicely.

None of the characters were what you would call “cardboard” and most had many different facates to their personalities – something Hollywood seems to have shied away from lately. The film does a good job of keeping the viewers interested throughout and will make people definitely want to stick around to see how it ends.

One thing that Elmore Leonard has long been noted for is his exceptional dialogue. Wisely, the director decided to keep that in mind while he was directing The Big Bounce. The dialogue is first rate throughout the film, and really showcases each characters personality. It also brings us a few new phrases that will surely not be heard for the last time here – although some of the phrases will probably not be used in mixed company!

Probably the best thing about The Big Bounce is the general feel of the film brought about by the beautiful location, great actors, complex – yet suprisingly easy to follow – plot and witty dialogue. These all combine to give the movie a whimsical feel that many comedies try for but few achieve. The carefree fun-ness of the film greatly heightens the enjoyment.

Basically, The Big Bounce is a fresh, fun comedy that you’ll be sure to enjoy – especially if you liked Get Shorty (1995).