Brivido biondo (2004) Online

Jack Ryan (Owen Wilson) has a tendency for bad decisions and bad luck, including ending up on the wrong side of the law, so he's fled to Hawaii. Unfortunately, his luck is going just as badly there. He hits his boss, loses his job, and is thrown in jail. After he gets out, he sees Nancy Hayes (Sara Foster) and falls for her, even though she's the mistress of an island bigwig, Ray Ritchie (Gary Sinise), and then some. Together they hatch a scheme to rip-off Ritchie, but how many people are involved, and how?

Was it that this large, talented cast was just looking for a paid vacation in Hawaii? I've liked most of the cast's previous films--I've seen tens of them from each principal cast member, and think there have only been a few I would pan. I've liked all of the adaptations of writer Elmore Leonard's work that I've seen so far (although admittedly, I haven't seen anywhere near the majority). But The Big Bounce is just a big, boring mess. I haven't seen any of screenwriter Sebastian Guiterrez or director George Armitage's previous work, so maybe we can blame them.

The biggest problem is that nothing much happens in the film for over half of its length, and when something does happen (primarily at the very end of the film), it is so poorly constructed that it's not very clear what's going on. Most of the film is more of a realist drama about, well, nothing, where Armitage seems to have directed his cast to say all of their lines with bizarre pauses, like they're severe asthmatics, and where Guiterrez' dialogue seems to primarily consist of banalities and non-sequiturs. There were a few moderately funny bits (the break-in at the cop's house, Bob Jr. (Charlie Sheen) visiting Nancy at an awkward time), but even those weren't laugh-out-loud hilarious when they should have been, and more often than not the script's attempts at humor fell flat, as did its attempts at realistic dialogue, intrigue, and just about everything else.

The large cast is primarily wasted. The only person not cruelly underused is Owen Wilson, and Wilson seems to be at a loss with the material. There are some nice shots of scenery, even if a lot of them are composites. I also thought the soundtrack songs were okay to good.

I haven't read Leonard's book yet, but I can't imagine that it's as uneventful, dull and ultimately confusing as this film. Even if it were, surely a script could be constructed out of the material that gradually weaves the various main characters' threads in a compelling and humorous way, leading up to an exciting twist ending. But such a script isn't to be found here.

Even if you're a big fan of the cast or Leonard, The Big Bounce is only worth watching to demonstrate that talented ingredients will not necessarily produce a successful film.

This is one of those movies that will slip through the cracks, but it's really not "bad". It's actually pretty GOOD, right up until... it doesn't have an ending. The ending seems to imply yet another twist - but it makes NO sense, and leaves more questions than it answers. The ending seems like they ran over-budget or over-time, and just stopped. The ending, it must be warned, SUCKS.

Maybe they couldn't afford a real ending; but the movie is pretty good up until then. It's a fun ride to a dead-end. Morgan Freeman settles into his part like he'd been waiting for it. Gary Sinise has a stifled role, but delivers his lines beautifully. Charlie Sheen is very nearly perfect as a slightly-dim, slightly confused henchman, and playing subtly against-type. Bebe Neuwerth appears as a boozy wife and gives far more to the part than is on the page, also against type, and perfectly-acted. Vinnie Jones stands-out too...

This movie could NOT fail - but it does. When it ends, you want to kick someone - the director or producers or studio financiers - for stopping what COULD have been so great! This movie has a painfully tiny scene with Willie Nelson and Harry Dean Stanton playing dominoes... I'm only a fan and don't know him personally, but I just KNOW that Elmore Leonard himself would stop any plot just to listen-in and watch to listen to those two guys play dominoes!

Owen Wilson is actually quite brilliant with the intricacies of the Elmore-dialogue that survive in the script! Don't say I'm wrong until you watch his scenes with Morgan Freeman in this movie. NOBODY was carrying anyone, and that's the truth. See the scenes with Charlie Sheen too - and there's a bouncing something there they keep between them. Someone on IMDb wrote "Charlie Sheen looks fat and stupid and like an ass" or something equally blind. What he DOES is play a different kind of self-effacing part, a *character* a bit of a boob - but also good and a bit "whipped" - do yourself a favor, and watch how NOT "Charlie-Sheen" he plays it - you might recognize a thing they call "acting".

Ahem, Sara Foster was the femme fatal, and the camera followed her far too much. She's gorgeous and who can blame the camera, and she gave a perfectly creditable performance; really, she was fine. Given something over a dozen better actors constantly on-hand (and the seeming final plot!) her time could have been cut a bit... but with this cast, and the first 80 minutes, this really could have been GREAT. Ignore it as the Sara Foster swimsuit video. There are some great performances hidden here. See this movie, and pretend the sequel is coming - or something.

Or don't see it - because you'll just wish it ended better.

As a shaggy-dog-story, this should end with a punchline. I'll end it the way movie ends instead, with build-up and seeming logic and then just stopping.

Whether it was intended to be viewed this way or not, this movie was exactly that, a movie(which are supposed to be fun). It didn't make you think too hard(or at all), It had a beautiful cast in a beautiful location, a great soundtrack, and a quirky fun story. Sometimes these type of movies are just what the doctor ordered. So what that it has no deep and meaningful theme, or that there are spots in the movie that make absolutely no sense!!!! It suffered severely in the box office due to very poor marketing prior to its release as well as a nation full of people suffering from groupthink, and the critics are the ones pulling the strings. I found the movie extremely refreshing, a nice break from deep thought, and i chance where i could just sit down, fix my eyes on the TV, and smile :D

Based on an Elmore Leonard novel, Owen Wilson plays Jack Ryan, an affable surfer who gets pulled into a crime caper by Nancy (Sara Foster), the beautiful mistress of a wealthy developer in Oahu, Hawaii. Soon, he and a judge, played by Morgan Freeman, are plotting against the developer, but Jack finds that he got more than he bargained for with Nancy.

I have never read the novel so I can't compare the movie to the book but I doubt the book is this bad. If Elmore Leonard doesn't like it then it's probably a disgrace to the book. The story itself isn't very fresh or new though the film does have an impressive cast. Unfortunately, the cast did little to help this very poor film. It ended up being a big waste of time and talent. The movie is just very dull and stupid. There really isn't a very clear idea of what type of genre this movie is supposed to be in. It wasn't a comedy because it wasn't funny at all. It wasn't a thriller because it offered no surprises. It was a crime caper except it wasn't very exciting and it offered no intrigue at all.

The acting is surprisingly flat and dull. Most of the actors seem to be more interested in a paycheck than anything else. This is Owen Wilson's worst film to date and it's also his worst performance. He just didn't seem to be trying at all. Gary Sinise wasn't used much which is a good thing because his performance was pretty mundane. Charlie Sheen tried way too hard to be funny and he ended up just being annoying. Morgan Freeman just gave a dull performance and Sara Foster was pretty weak but she is beautiful.

I blame director George Armitage for this garbage. He had the right actors and the right story, he just couldn't keep a good focus on it. There were a bunch of ideas going all over the place and the film was just so messy. He doesn't keep the audience guessing because they most likely won't care. He doesn't keep the audience entertained because there are very few engaging scenes. He really has nothing important to say either and The Big Bounce is just a very unnecessary movie. In the end, The Big Bounce is simply not worth watching. Rating 3/10

Considering the cast and the fact that it was an Elmore Leonard adaptation, I wanted to see this flick. However, it was disappointing. The film (though very small) moved at an extremely lethargic pace with hardly anything happening (except in the last 5 minutes or something). I haven't read Leonard's book so I can't comment on how fair it was to the script. There isn't much of a story as pretty much nothing happens in more than half the movie. The non-compelling ending is very badly written and we are left to figure out the plot holes. Why just the ending, the whole film is boring. The dialogues are, now I don't use this word often but, lame. A few funny moments include the breaking in the cops house, the fight between Sheen and Wilson while the girl watches.

Sadly, the cast has been wasted. Wilson and Foster have no chemistry. Being a talented actor, Wilson deserves a better movie. Poor Morgan Freeman hardly has anything to do except utter a few wise (not really) words. Sheen and Sinise have insignificant roles. Newarth springs a surprise but is hardly there. Foster is alright.

On the flip side, the cinematography gives us a wonderful tour through exotic Hawaii. It makes me want to go there and at times, I thought maybe the director and cast just happened to be there on holiday and decided to make a film. The soundtracks quite okay too. Thankfully it's a short film too so one not need to suffer too much. Even to fans of the cast and Leonard, this will be a disappointment.

Greetings again from the darkness. What a total waste of a cool cast. Having never read Elmore Leonard's novel, I can't say whether the movie butchered the book or not. I can say that this is an extremely unfunny, poorly made movie with a ridiculous story that had me flashing back to those Elvis in Hawaii movies ... only without the charm and music! Director George Armitage ("Miami Blues", "Grosse Point Blank") either hated the story or called in sick everyday. Supermodel Sara Foster lacks the acting chops for her vital role in this triple-crossing fiasco. Talented screen veterans Morgan Freeman and Gary Sinise are totally wasted in this and comics Owen Wilson, Bebe Neuwirth and Charlie Sheen require some funny material to work their magic. Have I mentioned that the script was awful? Everytime I got my hopes up, I was left feeling empty. The domino game with Freeman, Wilson, Willie Nelson and Harry Dean Stanton could have been a classic scene, but instead fell flat. Even an early scene with football heroes Tony Dorsett, Mike Renfro and Pete Johnson goes nowhere because they are just treated as window dressing. When a movie wastes Vinnie Jones ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels") we know it has nothing going for it. The scenes of Hawaii and the beautiful shoreline and water are the only good things to be taken from this.

I tell you who, they are scamming us, that's for sure.

After reading on the back of the DVD case in Blockbuster the words 'A comedy', 'Get Shorty' and 'Based on the Novel' and seeing the all star cast line up, I thought this looks like a potentially great movie, but when I got it home, got myself all comfortable by sitting down with Pizza, Wine and friends, and then switched it on, I felt like I had been given the wrong movie. Our night was ruined because of this, it just put us all on downers, and everyone left early.

This was a flat stale piece of un-funny junk, no wonder people take to downloading movies, they feel they don't want to risk parting with their money.

I could direct and write a much funnier movie than this dribble with my eyes closed. I feel really sorry for these great actors who were dragged into this mush. Although I am sure they had a great vacation together in Hawaii and enjoyed the pay cheque, it did not do their reputations to great.

This film was painfully dull to watch, so much it hurt, and now to add insult to injury I have got to go all the way back to the video shop to take the damn thing back.

Sigh!

I really like movies that center around some impossible con with twists thrown in. But, this movie, which advertises itself as a funny con, was terrible. The final five minutes which explains who was setting who up was dumb. Plus, the whole con was to only get $200,000. I want someone to try to steal a priceless neckless or gold bars like in Heist. As for the funny part, there are no laughs. And even Morgan Freeman is bad in this. They show surfers as a transition between scenes; what does that tell you about a film.

FINAL VERDICT: It is short, only 80 minutes long, but it is not worth a viewing.

It's movies like this that give modern-day films a reputation as "garbage," especially among classic-film lovers. I try to defend today's movies to them when they tell me today's movies are all morally bankrupt. Well, in this case, I have no rebuttal. I agree, this is another example of a modern effort that puts too much stock on the sleaze and winds up on the weak side of being classy. It's also another good example of a PG-13 movie that should have been rated "R." There are tons of examples of that in the last 15 years. Parents: be more leery of PG-13 than another rating.

Usually, a movie that features crime and comedy is going to be either really good or really bad, depending on the quality of the jokes. Here, very little was funny and by halfway, I could care less about the crime angle. If you are to inject humor into a heist story, make sure it works, or you are going to wind up with a mess like this. Also, the movie seemed to be more of an environmental propaganda piece than anything else. Did Al Gore have a hand in this? It would explain how boring this wound up and all the bias. It just looks as if the filmmakers didn't know what direction go to and wound up with a sub-par performance in all the categories.

Owen Wilson plays a smart-ass surfer dude. If his character "Jack Ryan" is the hero of this film, it's no wonder I got turned off in a hurry. I didn't find him a "likable guy," as some others did: just a wise guy who had the cute answers to everything. I have found Wilson to be similar to the crime-comedy genre: he's either very entertaining or very annoying.

Speaking of actors, I was very disappointed to see two of my favorites - Gary Sinise and Morgan Freeman - involved with this turkey.

I don't blame Wilson for everything. He didn't write the dialog. He didn't cast Sara Foster as the lead female. He didn't write a screenplay in which none of the characters are likable enough for us to care about them. At least I have company as I see most other reviewers here thought this movie stunk, too.

I would like to start out my review by saying I was looking forward to the Big Bounce. I enjoy watching Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman and Charlie Sheen on the big screen. I however feel this movie was marketed the wrong way. It was marketed as a slapstick comedy but turned out to only have a few laughs and a lot of mystery of who's scamming who? I walked out of The Big Bounce not overly satisfied but I was amused and entertained by the film nonetheless.

The film starts off with a huge laugh out loud scene and then proceeds to start developing its story. The movie stars Owen Wilson as Jack Ryan who is just your average Hawaii surfer dude/con man. Well, Jack is trying to go straight after being thrown in jail for an act of violence with one of his coworkers. Then Walter Crewes (Morgan Freeman) offers Jack a job, so Jack works for him at his local vacation hotspot. This is where the trouble starts as he runs into Hottie Nancy (Sara Foster) who talks Jack into doing one last big scam. The question of who is scamming who proceeds.

The movies' acting was pretty decent like I said above I like the actors in this film. Owen Wilson always uses his likable charm to win the audience over. Charlie Sheen played more of a scumbag in the film but he was amusing to watch as well. Morgan Freeman was playing a very calm laid back character and he looked like he was having fun. As for Sara Foster well she did what she was paid for and that was to strut her stuff and she did a great job doing just that. As for Gary Sinise, who is a great actor if I might add, well he was very under used and kind of served no real purpose in the film. I think his actual screen time was actually less than 5 minutes you think they could have gotten a real nobody to play his role.

George Armitage who brought us the film Grosse Pointe Blank with John Cusack directed the film. He did a great job capturing the beauty that is Hawaii. I loved the camera shots of the beaches, the ocean, the waves, and the beautiful scenery. The man makes pretty decent films he just needs a better marketer. I mean Grosse Pointe Blank was a decent film but was a box office bomb. I also think the Big Bounce will bomb since I went to see it on an opening night and there weren't many people in the theater. I think its because its marketed more as a comedy then anything else when it doesn't really showcase that many laughs.

Sebastian Gutierrez who wrote the movie Gothika that I actually enjoyed but many hated wrote the movie. I think Mr. Gutierrez did a good job with this screenplay. It had some clever dialog and some comedy. I think however it was missing a little juice to spice it up. It needed an action scene or more comedy scenes to make it more interesting for a wider audience.

So in conclusion, I didn't like the film as much as I thought I was but it was decent. It was amusing and kept me interested. I liked the performances and scenery. Its a decent film to see at a Matinee showing but not really worth the evening price at the theater especially in CA where they charge pretty much $10 buck a ticket. If you don't catch it in the theater it will definitely make a decent rental when it hit DVD or VHS in a few months. My final rating for the Big Bounce is a 7/10.

We are in Hawái , there Jack Ryan a young ex-con who gets fired from his employment ,then he takes another job as handyman and cleaner of a judge and local hotel proprietary called Sam (Morgan Freeman). Meanwhile , he is enamored by a shady and gorgeous woman named Nancy (Sara Foster), she's lover to an unscrupulous mobster called Ritchie (Gary Sinese). Nancy proposes Jack to help her with the robbery Ritchie's safe with supposedly big amount of money. He reluctantly help her , but problems ,double-crosses , risks and dangers are arising.

The film mingles intrigue , black comedy with cynical sense of humor , action , suspense and exotic landscapes including shores , islands , and beaches from Hawaii . The movie contains several ingredients for amusement and entertainment such as surf , yachts , sunny outdoors and sexy girls wearing T-shirt and bikinis . Owen Wilson as sympathetic drifter is nice and Sara Foster as sulky and seductive young is awesome . However, Morgan Freeman and Gary Sinese are miscast , but they usually play intelligent and upright roles . Other secondary actors as Charlie Sheen , Willie Nelson , Vinnie Jones , Bebe Neuwirth and Harry Dean Stanton are well. Wonderful outdoors and lush interiors are beautifully photographed by Jeffrey L. Kimball and lively and atmospheric music by George S Clinton . Screenplay by Elmo Leonard ,an old novelist and screenwriter specialist on noir plots and western and working from ¨Tall T¨,¨3:10 Yuma¨,¨Hombre¨ continuing with ¨Rosary murders¨, ¨Get shorty¨, ¨Jackie Brown¨ till nowadays . This film was previously adapted by Alex March (1969) with Ryan O'Neal and Leigh Taylor Young . Motion picture was regularly directed by George Armitage . Rating : Average but with lots of fun for the entire youth and it will appeal to noir comedy fans .

I don't know why this movie even exists. Maybe the book is better, but this movie has no entertainment value whatsoever. The plot doesn't make any sense, the characters have zero depth (what was Charlie Sheen's character for?), Sara Foster has no acting ability, the music is annoying, and to top it all off the whole movie has been sanitized for a lower rating - not that anyone would recommend this rubbish to anyone else as a family film. The only highlights are brief shots of Hawaiian scenery.

I'm glad I never paid at the cinema to see this, but I feel just as ripped off paying two bucks at Blockbuster to rent the DVD. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, and I feel sorry for the actors dragged into appearing in this movie.

Okay, there were three movies coming out this week, The Perfect Score which looks RETARDED (who cares about the SATs.THEY MEAN NOTHING), You Got Served (which has Steve Harvey my favorite person in the world), and this film The Big Bounce, which has an excellent cast and is based on a novel by Elmore Leonard. So I thought I picked the right one to check out..I was severely mistaken. This movie is so weird, so boring, and so dumb. It felt like all these actors vacationed together in Hawaii, and decided to make a movie while they were there, and just make it up as they went along. None of the dialogue made any sense, they would all have conversations that I couldn't understand, I can't even explain it but it was like another language, they kept talking in little quips and strange antidotes, it was truly bizarre, it seriously seemed like everyone got drunk and just started saying things to each other that made sense at the time. I think everyone signed on to this film so they could chill in Hawaii. I am utterly perplexed that a movie like this can be made and distributed. The only redeeming factor in this film is that Sara Foster (whoever she is) is the hottest woman I've ever seen. She is simply amazing. Other than her this movie is garbage. See it only if you like to punish yourself.sicko. Grade: F

What a way to solve a problem for a drifter whose boss is making hotels and he doesn't like where he's building them at. Owen Wilson is at his best playing Jack Ryan, the drifter/thief and reluctant avenger who tries to stop his scheming boss Ray Ritchie(Gary Sinise, Forrest Gump, CSI:NY) for building his hotel. Ryan who has his run ins with the law gives himself a chance to find redemption, but the judge (Morgan Freeman) is also fair game as well. He hates Ritchie just as much as anyone else on the islands. Especially, his own wife (Bebe Neuwirth) who seems to drink way too much and is some clueless on who's who on this island. Nancy(Sara Foster), who happens to be Ray's mistress, and Jack's lover seems to know the dirt on Ray Ritchie. Including the one of the law enforcement officers who happens to be a "homo"! That would definitely tarnish his reputation. Jack's real lover is #9, who is she really? One will never know. Willie Nelson has never lost his touch as an actor since "Barbarosa", and I'm surprised that Judge Walter Crews got Ritchie's yacht and his wife, so I think everyone got what they wanted except for Ray Ritchie whom I don't feel sorry for. It was a real funny movie and the cast were great all the way. It proves a point there. Rating 3 out of 5 stars.

Maybe this second movie version of Elmore Leonard's caper novel of the same name (first filmed in 1969 with Ryan O'Neal and Leigh Taylor-Young) is no GET SHORTY or OUT OF SIGHT, but it's a lot more fun than critics gave it credit for (a lot more fun than the dreary original, for sure!), and it deserved to do better at the box office. When it came out back in January, this BIG BOUNCE's new Hawaii setting was especially welcome during this harsh winter season! Hell, all it took to make me love this flick was the playful rock-tinged Hawaiian-style score (though scorer George S. Clinton missed an opportunity: it would've been such a hoot to include Paul Revere & The Raiders' "Kicks" or a cool cover of same, in honor of TBB's thrill-seeking leads! :-), the lush tropical scenery, and the sight of Owen Wilson naked in the ocean! :-) Wilson, the king of comedic neo-slacker cool, is in his element as Jack Ryan (so not Tom Clancy's action hero! :-), an ex-con surfer dude with a penchant for getting in trouble (as he says, his "two longtime companions" are "bad luck and bad choices"). Jack gets into plenty of it thanks to newcomer Sara Foster as Nancy, a sun-kissed cutie with the insouciant insolence of the young Lauren Bacall. Wilson and Foster have an easygoing, playful chemistry even when they get their kicks from stealing cars and "B&E" (Breaking and Entering, a popular indoor sport for movie couples earlier this year what with TBB and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND). When the stakes are raised up to murder, however, Jack has to start rethinking his laissez-faire approach to life... Wilson and Foster have a great cast to double-cross and be double-crossed by, including Morgan Freeman, Bebe Neuwirth, Gary Sinise, our fave British movie tough guy Vinnie Jones (nice change of pace, seeing him get his butt kicked for a change :-), Willie Nelson, and Charlie Sheen and Harry Dean Stanton as father and son! Add lots of snappy dialogue (I particularly liked Wilson's "friendship" speech to Gregory Sporleder: "If I'm in trouble, you won't be there for me...I won't be there for you..." It's a Bogart-style tough-guy speech given a slyly witty spin thanks to Wilson's laid-back delivery), much of it uttered over the rocks (in more ways than one -- I haven't seen so much drinking in a crime comedy since the THIN MAN movies, only the drinking impairs the characters' judgment here :-), and you've got a lighthearted, lightweight way to pass a lazy afternoon, especially if the weather is too dreary for real-life fun in the sun!

Some movies we like because the players fully inhabit their roles and thereby draw us into a well-crafted story articulately photographed, creatively edited and cleverly directing. Such films bewitch us so completely that we are startled by the deep contrasts between the reality we live in and the deepest realization that there are other embodied worlds all about us. They become portals, however temporary, to new and mysterious realms of being.

Other films, like "The Big Bounce" and lots and lots and lots of fun! You like to have fun, don't you? Sure you do!

Unlike the sourpuss who wrote the first comment on this flick (*please lighten up!*), I was put into a very good mood indeed by the sheer silliness of it all. Think of it as being at a great party with your favorite people all around you, having a great time. If you're not an Owen Wilson fan, then you shouldn't watch this movie. You should go play chess with death or something, or watch that baby carriage bounce down the Odessa Steps again and again. The rest of us are having too much fun yakking at Wilson's perverse line delivery. I could watch Morgan Freeman go through a tax audit and have a great time. Gary Sinese isn't as sinister as usual - he's in Hawaii, man - why should he be? Charlie Sheen actually looks dorky here for a change, and I haven't seen Harry Dean Stanton in years, glad to know he's still around.

I had no idea who played the alkey rich wife till I saw the credits and fell head-over-heels in love with Bebe Neuwirth again. I hope Sara Foster does more movies - normally bimbos are interchangeable but her version is so seductively bad for you you you *still* would do it all over again. No mean looks, no leather pants or whips (again, it's Hawaii) - she's fun, which is why people fall for people that are bad for them - they provide the near occasion of more fun then you generally get to have.

Anybody else? Oh yeah, hi Willie, good to see you again, glad you didn't sing.

And #9 has the best sh*t-eating grin on the planet.

But I better close this off, Death and that guy playing chess over there are giving me dirty looks.

Watch "The Big Bounce" and have some good laughs.

Don't be fooled by everyone's comments on how horrible or how boring this movie is. Sure, if you are looking for an Academy Award-winning drama, you won't get what you wanting to see. I mean look at the star role! ITS OWEN Wilson. Some of his more recent films include Starsky and Hutch, Shanghai Knights, Royal Tenebaums, Zoolander, Meet the Parents, Shanghai Noon, I mean COME ON. As soon as I saw he was in it I knew it was a comedy, and I was expecting a not-so-great storyline and some "controversial" things being said. If you want to see a comedy, then see this movie.

I, went, expecting a comedy, got one, and I give it a 8 out of 10.

I only gave this film a chicane because I'm a Freeman, Wilson and Sinese fan nut based on the reviews I read prior to watching this flick I would have never paid hard earned money to see it. Lucky me my local library had it for check out cause, I see exactly why it got little or no press.

this film lacked heavily on genuine comedy, action or plot structure. The "who's scamming who" was interesting up until the end of the movie which ultimately resulted in the title character (wilson) claiming all (no mystery there!) For those fans like me who have enjoyed some of these fine actors other great works, I 'd advise you steer clear of this one and chalk this one up as one pitfall in all of their acting careers.

You'd think when Owen Wilson and Morgan Freeman would get together, you would have a witty script, good acting and a storyline to match. Forget it, this movie was probably an attempt by the cast to get a free vacation and get paid for it. The acting is terrible (Wilson is possibly the only bearable one), Freeman especially, and the storyline is plain ridiculous. Dolph Lundgren and Van Damme could have acted in the movie and it couldn't get worse. The movie is set in Hawaii with Wilson a con-man trouble maker that gets mixed up with the wrong people. Freeman, a judge who comes to become Wilson's buddy tries to help change his ways but once a con-man, always a con-man Wilson can't keep his feet out of trouble for too long.

The movie "The Big Bounce" is a very funny and interesting movie. Jack Ryan (Owen Wilson) is a surfer, drifter, and a criminal has moved to Hawaii. While he is working on a job for Ray Ritchie (Gary Sinise) Jack gets into a fight with the foreman, which just seems to start his problems. When he is released from jail, Bob Rodgers Jr. (Charlie Sheen) tells him to leave the islands and go back to the mainland or Ray Ritchie will find someone to make him leave. Jack does not take this to heart and stays on the island. While at a bar, Walter Crewes (Morgan Freeman) comes up to him and offers him a job at his bungalows. While working there, he meets Ray Ritchie's mistress Nancy Hayes (Sara Foster) and starts a relationship with her. She tells him about this great scheme that she is going to pull on Ritchie, and she wants him to be involved to help her pull it off. They are going to take two hundred thousand dollars that Ritchie will have at his house. But there is a big twist that Nancy, Walter, and Allison, Ritchie's wife, all are scheming against him. That they are going to kill Jack and make it look like he killed Ritchie in the process of a burglary. But does Jack survive and get the money or does he fall to their scheme? The viewer will just have to watch the movie to find out.

The movie "The Big Bounce" is a really funny movie. If the viewers do not pay attention to the movie, they will miss its important parts and the viewer might misunderstand the movie. The movie was not a very long movie, so it would be a good movie to watch if the viewer does not have much free time. The way the movie was presented was what made it hard to follow. The plot was a little predictable in the fact that half of the way through the movie the viewer knew that Nancy was scamming Jack. The movie was not intended to be a suspense movie, but it is way too predictable. The way it was directed let the viewer know exactly what is going to happen next. The director George Armitage should have tried to add a little suspense to the movie. So that the viewer could not figure out the plot so fast. It would be a movie that I would rent, but it is not good enough that I would spend the money to buy.

Aside from all the negative buzz that surrounded this film before i saw it, i came out of it having enjoyed myself...for the most part that is. Owen Wilson makes this movie good. If it weren't for him, it would've probably been nothing. The only thing i didn't like about the movie was the ending. Without spoiling anything.....I think it was simply over done. The writer tried to make it TOO clever and it just came off kind of muddled. Not that i didn't understand what actually happened, I just thought it was a bit over the top. Being a fan of Owen Wilson, i found it quite funny, but if you're not a fan of his work, then STAY AWAY, cuz he is what makes the movie.

Overall......enjoyable movie, that deserves a better ending.

Watching director George Armitage's movie "The Big Bounce" (*** out of ****), an enjoyable small-time crime comedy starring Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman, Charlie Sheen, Willie Nelson, and Gary Sinise, is rather like being scammed. Armitage distracts us during the first 80 minutes of this frivolous film-flammer, based on best selling writer Elmore Leonard's first crime novel, with Jeffrey L. Kimball's picture-postcard photography of Hawaii; gorgeous bikini-clad Sara Foster as the embodiment of a sexy siren; and garrulous, surfer dude Owen Wilson as a lowbrow, blue collar hero, so he can contrive a clever ending in the last few minutes. No, chances are you won't see the twist of an ending heading your way, even though Armitage and scenarist Sebastian Gutierrez of "Gothika" hurl a hint or two early on in that direction. Creamed by most critics as uninspired and anemic, this believable but lackadaisical con game features several genuinely funny situations; a gallery of quirky characters; some quotable dialogue, and a leisurely pace Armitage imparts with his low-key, unobtrusive helming. Incidentally, Armitage's "Big Bounce" qualifies as a vastly superior remake of the lackluster 1969 original with Ryan O'Neal, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Van Heflin.

Ideally cast as an anti-heroic panhandler with a proclivity for boosting hot cars and burglarizing homes, Owen Wilson indulges himself as smooth-talking protagonist Jack Ryan, a role he was born to play. Don't confuse this Jack Ryan with super-spy Jack Ryan from Tom Clancy techno-thrillers such as "A Clear and Present Danger" or "Patriot Games." Actually, the Leonard novel appeared in print long before Clancy took pen in hand for his bestsellers about his own Jack Ryan. Anyway, as this Jack Ryan reveals in the opening voice-over narration, he wound up on Oahu's North Shore, because he ran out of places to run. As Jack sums up his life, he describes his two best friends as 'bad luck' and 'bad choices.' Essentially, Jack considers himself 'semi-retired' from petty crime. No sooner has Jack wrangled a construction job working for unscrupulous real estate developer Ray Ritchie (Gary Sinise of "Forrest Gump"), a villainous millionaire who wants to bulldoze paradise for a new high-rise resort, than he clashes with Ray's menacing foreman Lou Harris (ex-British soccer star Vinnie Jones of "Snatch").

As the story opens, native American Hawaiians are picketing Ray Ritchie's construction site. During this shutdown, some workers get up a game of softball. Jack picks up an aluminum baseball bat to take a swat when Harris intervenes. Harris orders everybody back to work. Jack complains, and Harris cans him. When Jack loiters on the premises, Harris threatens him with bodily harm. Consequently, a frightened Jack clobbers Harris with the bat and lays the bully out cold while a TV news crew records the incident. After a brief stint in the local jail, Jack gets out, and Ritchie's lame-brained, right-hand man, Bob Rogers, Jr., (Charlie Sheen of "Platoon") warns Jack to clear out of Hawaii.

Meanwhile, District Judge Walter Crewes ( Morgan Freeman of "Bruce Almighty") cottons to Jack, because when the latter hit Harris, he halted construction. Walter feels absolutely no sympathy for wicked Ray Ritchie. Ritchie's future motel will put Walter's scenic bungalow resort out of business. Largely to aggravate both Ritchie and Bob, Jr., Walter offers Jack a job as a handyman for $300 a week. Along comes beautiful, fawn-like Nancy Hayes (ex-model Sara Foster in her film debut) who sleeps with Ray when Ray isn't shacking up with his alcoholic wife, Alison (Bebe Neuwirth of "Jumanji"), who has everything registered in her name. Walter warns Jack about Nancy, while an angry Bob Jr., warns Jack about the wages of staying in Hawaii. "One of us is going to leave here uglier that he was before," Bob threatens our hero. "That's not fair," Jack drawls with a shrug, "I've got a head start on you." It helps matters considerably that Owen Wilson willingly pokes fun at his misshapen nose. Nothing the judge says can stop Jack from hooking up with Nancy. Nancy lives for danger, so Jack shows her how to steal cars. In turn, Nancy tells Jack about $200-thousand dollars Ray Ritchie has lying in a vault in his house. According to Nancy, Ray plans to pay off local gangsters to keep the natives off his construction site. Jack can neither take his eyes off Nancy nor his mind off an easy-as-pie heist.

Director George Armitage learned his craft under the tutelage of legendary producer Roger Corman. While "The Big Bounce" isn't as violent or as imaginative as either of Armitage's previous efforts "Miami Blues" and "Grosse Pointe Blank," he keeps things humming as everybody plots against Jack to make him the fall guy. Owen Wilson delivers what qualifies as his best performance ever. Wilson and Foster dominate the antics of this crime comedy of errors with their romance, while Freeman, Sheen, Neuwirth, and Sinise meander in and out of the action. Compared to earlier Elmore Leonard cinematic adaptations, "The Big Bounce" isn't as good as "Jackie Brown," "Out of Sight," or "Get Shorty," but it manages to be consistently amusing when it isn't visually resplendent.

surprisingly good flick that is well made and often quite funny with only the finale being a little disappointing it's amusing throughout while never being boring this kinda reminded me of Get Shorty (a movie i am not at all fond of that review will be coming soon. the plot was very interesting and i found the characters to be quite appealing. it was nice to see something refreshing as i was expecting a bland movie but what i got was a fast paced and often amusing little flick. SPOILERS!!!!! loved the part in the beginning when Jack hits that guy with a baseball bat. The Acting is GREAT Owen Wilson is AWESOME here as Jack he is hilarious and does very well here even though he is a SPOILERS!!! a con artist he had some pretty funny lines too Charlie Sheen does very well here but it looks like the dude may have put on some weight sill he is funny as ever. Morgan Freeman delivers another great performance and made me smile a bunch of times. Willie Nelson isn't on screen enough and does what he has to do. Gary Sinise does okay here but is very unlikable. but i guess that's the point. there is a bit role here for Harry Dean Stanton and Bebe Neuwirth is highly amusing here as well. Sara Foster is JUST STUNNING!!!!! AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS!!! and she is EXTREMELY sexy as i was wishing i was Owen Wilson. Overall a good little flick that i recommend *** out of 5 with only the finale being a bit disappointing

It's a scattershot little adaptation of Elmore Leonard (in fact, a remake of the 1969 original, which starred Ryan O'Neal, Van Heflin and O'Neal's then wife, Leigh Taylor-Young) with the usually pretty funny Owen Wilson as a drifter and con-man in Hawaii,hired as a caretaker by a retired judge (Morgan Freeman), and corralled into a new con by a golddigging mistress (Sara Foster) of a sleazy real estate heir (Charlie Sheen). Definitely not up to Get Shorty or Jackie Brown levels, but ample fun and escapism nonetheless. In fact this movie's biggest sin is probably its' near criminal underuse of Gary Sinise (as Sheen's father) and Bebe Neuwirth (as Sinise's wife).

When I saw this movie, I came out of the theater thinking it wasn't good. When I got home, everything changed. I got the best satisfaction feeling of a feel-good movie. Not knowing why this sudden change of mind happened, I started thinking about the high and low points of this movie. First thing that came to mind was the setting where the movie takes place. It's a real paradise: beautiful beaches, sunsets, people, everything you would want in a perfect place. Those things made me feel good about having seen this movie. The second thing is the score. I have to admit that sometimes it's not any different from other movies but most of the time it was just great. It kind of sounded like the score to Wild Things. The third and final thing I enjoyed were the scenes where Owen Wilson's character is in the presence of Sara Foster's character. Those scenes were just perfect. The two of them have the best chemistry on screen. They really make this movie worth seeing. Now, some of the things I didn't like: the plot, because it wasn't going anywhere and you feel like you're watching a bad story happening on screen. No action whatsoever except for those two characters I mentioned before who literally save this movie from being completely dull. Something else I didn't like was the supporting actors. Great cast put together, but no good performances delivered. I'm thinking about Charlie Sheen, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Sinise. As for the director, well I'm not a big fan of the guy. I would go as far as saying that he doesn't know how to tell a story. Sometimes in this movie we get to see some unnecessary scenes without having to do with the actors. Apart from those bad things, the movie isn't so bad at all. If you're planning on seeing this movie, I would suggest you wait for the DVD release. But please, see this movie without expecting too much of it, otherwise you might be disappointed. Again, see it for the Owen Wilson - Nancy Hayes duo. They light up the screen.