When I heard that "The Big Bounce" was the latest film based on an Elmore Leonard novel, it was only natural that my expectations going into the film were elevated. Numerous Leonard crime-caper novels have been adapted into a collection of the wittiest, most intelligent and often hilarious crime movies in recent memory. These include "Jackie Brown," "Get Shorty" and "Out of Sight."
All of these crime-comedies are highly driven by the characters' quick, sardonic personalities and unconventional motives steering their actions. The characters in these slick films all seem wrapped up in the plot by pure circumstance yet somehow their unusual styles and idiosyncrasies guide them out of their dilemmas while we root for them the entire way.
Leonard also has a knack for a wicked twist or two. Hidden motives and wild finales are his personal requisites.
"The Big Bounce" follows Jack Ryan (Owen Wilson), a drifting surfer con man in Hawaii. He lands a new job with Walter Crewes (Morgan Freeman) and is quickly involved in a somewhat elaborate scheme orchestrated by Nancy Hayes (Sara Foster) against her lover, a Hawaii real estate mogul (Gary Sinise) and long-time nemesis of Crewes. As the story unfolds, the motives of characters come into question, and the who-to-trust guessing game begins.
The cast in "The Big Bounce" gets mixed reviews. Owen Wilson adds an innocent, slacker dimension to the deviant Jack Ryan, creating a likable and entertaining anti-hero. The great Morgan Freeman could play Walter Crewes in his sleep. But even after decades of films, Freeman has never uttered a certain line in "Bounce" that did not come off as authentic and believable.
The supporting cast is laudable as well, but under utilized. Sinise is rarely on screen and Charlie Sheen, who plays Sinise's sidekick, does not get a fair chance at comedy but for a total of five or ten minutes. Vinnie Jones, the scene-stealing tough guy seen in "Snatch," once again plays his British, hard-ass role providing one of the funniest scenes in the movie in the opening few minutes.
Now we get to Sara Foster. Here, Foster takes her first role in a motion picture. This is the first time she has been in front of a camera since her stint as an MTV news anchor, and to say that it shows would be the understatement of the year.
Many Elmore Leonard stories are grounded by the female lead, and he provides plenty of opportunity and material to allow her to shine. Renee Russo in "Get Shorty" is brilliant and sexy. Even the mediocre-at-best Jennifer Lopez rocks in "Out of Sight." These women bring their incredible appeal to the screen and, combined with Leonard's expertise, create a one-two punch to be reckoned with.
Sara Foster misses the boat completely. Where she should be sly and appealing, she comes off as annoying and stupid. For the length of the film, I could never believe that this girl was capable of organizing her daily planner, much less a $200,000 heist. If you've seen the trailer for "The Big Bounce," it is seemingly clear why she was chosen for the film -- she is a knockout in a yellow bikini.
For some reason, this sun-poisoned movie never strives for it. It is as lazy as its lead character. Instead of pushing the story forward full throttle like it needs to in order to engage us, it drifts and drags. The build-up to the heist is slow and uninteresting leading to quite possibly the most anti-climatic heist in the past decade.
This movie needs to aim for a heist as smooth and thought provoking as the ones in "Ocean's Eleven" or the trend-setting classic, "The Sting." These movies use the indelible grace of their characters, their humor, to show stealing at its sweetest.
But "Bounce" just settles. It settles in almost every aspect. Its dialogue is very funny and a joy to watch at times, especially early on. As the story develops, it turns into rambling along with the rest of the plot, and director George Armitage settles for shooting Hawaii locals surfing in slow motion and sweeping helicopter shots of the Hawaiian coast.
It feels like the cast and crew of "The Big Bounce" just wanted to relax in Hawaii for a few months, maybe get a tan; and making a movie became a side note. About the only thing I took away from this mess was that now I know I need to visit the breathtaking state of Hawaii and that yellow bikinis are a very, very good thing.
In an HBO interview, Morgan Freeman was asked, "What does 'big bounce' mean?" Freeman replied, "It's the ultimate thrill, the ultimate rush."
Ultimately, the only "bounce" I felt after all of this film's meandering was when the end credits finally rolled.
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