Themes: Cons and Scams, Unlikely Criminals, Dishonor Among Thieves
Main Cast: Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Sinise, Sara Foster, Willie Nelson
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
George Armitage directs this big-screen adaptation of Elmore Leonard's The Big Bounce. Jack Ryan (Owen Wilson) is an occasional thief who tends to a judge (Morgan Freeman). A woman involved with Ray Ritchie (Gary Sinese), a real estate developer of questionable ethics, seduces Jack. Ritchie and the judge are old enemies, complicating Jack's moral dilemma when the girls asks Jack to help her double-cross Ritchie. The book was adapted once before with Ryan O'Neal in the Owen Wilson role. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Review
The Big Bounce is passable entertainment, but it never lives up to its promise. George Armitage, who nailed Charles Willeford's down-and-dirty sardonic tone in the woefully underseen Miami Blues and found the right mood for the tricky screenplay of Grosse Point Blank, would seem to have a feel for this kind of darkly comic material, supplied by the redoubtable Elmore Leonard (and adapted by screenwriter Sebastian Gutierrez). The cast is impressive, with amiable goofball leading man Owen Wilson providing quirky energy and newcomer Sara Foster surprisingly effective as the surfer-girl femme fatale (though this is a softer version of the character in Leonard's novel). The scenery is plenty lush, but the film's narrative drive seems to get lost in the Hawaiian surf. The plot is weak by caper standards, and a strong supporting cast is pretty much wasted. Minor characters that need to be fleshed out in order to hold our interest, like Morgan Freeman's laid-back judge and Bebe Neuwirth's alcoholic rich man's wife, are held in check to provide "surprising" story payoffs that will likely leave viewers scratching their heads. Armitage is usually sure-handed with incidental music (think of the way "Spirit in the Sky" juices the opening of Miami Blues, or of the clever use of cheesy 1980s hits in Grosse Point Blank), but he makes a huge gaffe here in using the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing" in one scene, evoking Steven Soderbergh's far superior Leonard adaptation, Out of Sight. While The Big Bounce ambles along pleasantly enough, that unfortunate musical cue calls to mind how much better it could have been. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Vinnie Jones - Lou Harris; Bebe Neuwirth - Alison Ritchie; Charlie Sheen - Bob Rogers, Jr.; Harry Dean Stanton - Bob Rogers Sr.; Andrew Wilson - Ned Coleman; Steve Jones - Dick; Anahit Minasyan - Virginia (No. 9); Gregory Sporleder - Frank Pizzarro; Wendy Thorlakson - Wendy the Party Planner
Credit
John Bucklin - Art Director, Mali Finn - Casting, Channing Dungey - Co-producer, Betsy Cox - Costume Designer, Tracy Tynan - Costume Designer, Gary Marcus - First Assistant Director, George Armitage - Director, Brent Armitage - Second Unit Director, Brian Berdan - Editor, Barry Malkin - Editor, Zane Weiner - Executive Producer, Brent Armitage - Executive Producer, George S. Clinton - Composer (Music Score), Dana Sano - Musical Direction/Supervision, Stephen Altman - Production Designer, Jeffrey Kimball - Cinematographer, Steve Bing - Producer, Jorge Saralegui - Producer, Chris Spellman - Set Designer, Richard Bryce Goodman - Sound/Sound Designer, Sebastian Gutierrez - Screenwriter, Elmore Leonard - Book Author
George S. Clinton's score for George Armitage's 2004 version of the Elmore Leonard caper The Big Bounce plays like a mix of cartoon music à la Carl Stalling's work for Warner Bros., '50s exotica, and slack key guitar music that reflects the film's Hawaiian setting. As these influences imply, most of Clinton's music is amusing but a little over the top, with the over-amped feel of many comedy scores. Fortunately, most of the cues are short -- with only a couple breaking the two-minute mark -- and they tend to punctuate the film's action instead of expanding on it. The score's heavy use of saxophones, which pop up on tracks from the manic "Glass Jaw" to the dreamy "Moonlight," gives the music a strangely dated quality that recalls both the '50s and the '80s, although the movie isn't set in either of those eras. As befitting a crime comedy, many of the score's cues have a sneaky sound, with pizzicato strings, pianos, and xylophones giving tracks like "The Bitches," "Upstairs/Downstairs," "Up to Something," and "The Con" a tiptoe-like stealth. As the score progresses it becomes more creative; cues such as "Diving," "The Truth," "A Kiss for Luck," and "Which Bitch?" display more diversity and more originality. While its many compositions give the album a disjointed feel that makes The Big Bounce not especially good listening outside of the film's context, it's still a competently made score. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
Jim Walker (Flute), Jim Walker (Group Member), Bruce Dukov (Violin), Bruce Dukov (Group Member), Sid Page (Violin), Sid Page (Group Member), Murray Adler (Violin), Murray Adler (Group Member), Robert Becker (Viola), Robert Becker (Group Member), Charlie Bisharat (Violin), Charlie Bisharat (Group Member), Jodi Burnett (Celli), Jodi Burnett (Group Member), Darius Campo (Violin), Darius Campo (Group Member), George S. Clinton (Conductor), George S. Clinton (Producer), George S. Clinton (Orchestration), Larry Corbett (Celli), Larry Corbett (Group Member), Franklyn d'Antonio (Violin), Franklyn d'Antonio (Group Member), Brian Dembow (Viola), Brian Dembow (Group Member), Joel Derouin (Violin), Joel Derouin (Group Member), George Doering (Guitar), George Doering (Lap Steel Guitar), George Doering (Group Member), Stephen Erdody (Celli), Stephen Erdody (Group Member), Richard Feves (Bass), Richard Feves (Group Member), Mike Fisher (Percussion), Armen Garabedian (Violin), Armen Garabedian (Group Member), Berj Garabedian (Violin), Berj Garabedian (Group Member), Paula Hochhalter (Celli), Paula Hochhalter (Group Member), Norman Hughes (Violin), Norman Hughes (Group Member), Roland Kato (Viola), Roland Kato (Group Member), Peter Kent (Violin), Peter Kent (Group Member), Armen Ksadjikian (Celli), Armen Ksadjikian (Group Member), Janet Lakatos (Viola), Janet Lakatos (Group Member), Michael Markman (Violin), Michael Markman (Group Member), Bruce Morgenthaler (Bass), Bruce Morgenthaler (Group Member), Maria Newman (Viola), Maria Newman (Group Member), Brian O'Connor (French Horn), Brian O'Connor (Group Member), Simon Oswell (Viola), Simon Oswell (Group Member), Dean Parks (Guitar), Dean Parks (Ukulele), Dean Parks (Group Member), Joel Peskin (Sax (Baritone)), Joel Peskin (Group Member), Katia Popov (Violin), Katia Popov (Group Member), Tom Ranier (Piano), Tom Ranier (Group Member), Anatoly Rosinsky (Violin), Anatoly Rosinsky (Group Member), Mark Sazer (Violin), Mark Sazer (Group Member), Harry Shirinian (Viola), Harry Shirinian (Group Member), Robert Townson (Executive Producer), Josephina Vergara (Violin), Josephina Vergara (Group Member), John Wittenberg (Violin), John Wittenberg (Group Member), Robert Zimmitti (Percussion), Robert Zimmitti (Group Member), Matt Funes (Viola), Matt Funes (Group Member), Peter Limonick (Percussion), Peter Limonick (Group Member), Steve Richards (Group Member), David Riddles (Bassoon), David Riddles (Group Member), Donald Ferrone (Bass), Donald Ferrone (Group Member), Ed Meares (Bass), Ed Meares (Group Member), Suzie Katayama (Orchestration), Mario Diaz de Leon (Violin), Mario Diaz de Leon (Group Member), Bob Peterson (Violin), Bob Peterson (Group Member), Dana K. Sano (Music Supervisor), Natalie Leggett (Violin), Natalie Leggett (Group Member), Gary Bovyer (Clarinet), Gary Bovyer (Group Member), Tamara L. Hatwan (Violin), Tamara L. Hatwan (Group Member), Timothy Landauer (Celli), Timothy Landauer (Group Member), Vicki Miskolczy (Viola), Vicki Miskolczy (Group Member), Rudy Stein (Celli), Rudy Stein (Group Member), Sara Parkins (Violin), Sara Parkins (Group Member), Keith Greene (Viola), Keith Greene (Group Member), Rebecca Bunnell (Violin), Rebecca Bunnell (Group Member), Roberto Cani (Violin), Roberto Cani (Group Member), Eve Butler (Violin), Eve Butler (Group Member), Jody Rubin (Viola), Jody Rubin (Group Member), Moti Friedman (Editing Assistant), Pat Johnson (Violin), Pat Johnson (Group Member), Datz Pyle, Debbi (Orchestra Contractor), Dan Smith (Celli), Dan Smith (Group Member), Phillip Edward Yao (French Horn), Phillip Edward Yao (Group Member), Shanti Randall (Viola), Shanti Randall (Group Member), Oliver Hug (Editing Assistant), Charles Evertt (Violin), Charles Evertt (Group Member), Rick Giovinazzo (Orchestration), Leanne Becknell (Oboe), Leanne Becknell (Group Member), Bob Fisher (Percussion), Bob Fisher (Group Member), Steve Richards (Celli)
The 2004 film was a critical and commercial disaster. It cost an estimated $50 million to make, and grossed only $6,801,716 at the box office.[1] Film website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a meager score of 16%. Roger Ebert summed the film up by saying simply, "The movie doesn't work. It meanders and drifts and riffs."
Critics generally viewed The Big Bounce as being "a big waste of talent." But fans feel that the film's biggest fault would be the major deviation from the original novel, a fault that was also true for the 1969 original film.
Quotes
Walter Crewes:"God is just an imaginary friend for grown ups."
Nancy Hayes:"Jack, it's really depressing here. I'm depressed. I'm depressed. I need the money"
Jack Ryan:"That's one of the things I like about it is how depressing it is. It's like where dreams go to die."
