Review of Big Kahuna, The

Introduction

This filmed play was made in 1999 and produced by Kevin Spacey. Directed by John Swanbeck, it is based on the Roger Rueff play Hospitality Suite.

Pretty much a three handed performance this is the tale of a marketing convention where three men must do their best to land a customer who could be the saviour of the industrial lubricant manufacturer they all work for.

Phil (Danny Devito) has reached a certain point in his life. The partner of Phil(Kevin Spacey) he has always been hungry for the hunt and they make a great closing team. He has changed of late and Phil doesn`t know how to read him. He may well have lost the killing urge and the job having possibly cost him his marriage no longer fulfils.

Phil is still lean, hungry and barracuda-like. He wants the sales, he lives for the kill. He can`t quite see where Phil is going and when he meets new boy Bob(Peter Fancinelli) he is keen to share his knowledge.

Bob is something else again. He`s not from the marketing department but from research he is recently married and feels a wide gulf between himself and the fierce and aggressive Phi;. Bob thinks of himself as a gentler soul but he surprises himself and learns a few home truths as the evening develops.

Video

The picture is reasonably clear. The locations are limited by its play origins but although restricted prove significant. The hospitality suite of the title harks back to an earlier era looking like a reproduction of 1970`s `corporate` being complete with the standard cocktail bar.

Audio

The importance is all in the script which demands complete attention. Happily the three actors are more than up to the task of delivering complex ideas and emotions developed in this screenplay.

There is also a good music soundtrack to go with it including an excellent end credits piece-Baz Luhrmann`s "Wear Sunscreen".

Features

This is a basic release with no additional features

Conclusion

There are no bells and whistles with this release but it proved very entertaining. I`m quite keen on action films but I also love it when there is a really wordy and absorbing script .This one turned out to be a treat with an unleashed Spacey and Devito. On occasions its like watching someone bleed on the carpet; very raw and emotional but overall it proves to be enjoyable.