Big Deal (1985)

Director:

Barry Healey

Writers:

Stefan Gommermann (story)
Peter Mohan (writer) ...

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Independent Film

Cast

Jeff Wincott	...	Ted Powers
Tina Theberge	...	Sue Powers
Allan Katz	...	Larry Schnyder
Dan Lett	...	Bob Bowers
Cordelia Strube	...	Betty Bowers
Louis Negin	...	Eugene Leach
Theresa Tova	...	Iris Leach
Christine Cattell	...	Claudia Hasting
Géza Kovács	...	Leo Schneider
Marvin Goldhar	...	Larry Sr.
James Kidnie	...	Big Thug
John Dunn-Hill	...	Scottish Thug
Anne Mirvish	...	Mrs. Watson
Sam Moses	...	Suicidal Customer
Mary Beth Rubens	...	Secretary

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

RSL Entertainment Corp.

Few Are Able To Contribute Very Much Of Value To A Sluggish And Rather Silly Production.

Jeff Wincott, fine Canadian actor, has earned a loyal following, principally for martial arts skills as depicted in numerous "action" films, but upon occasion throughout his career he has been called upon to demonstrate native talent other than that of his primary athletic disposition towards belting foes about, as in this instance for a less than entertaining attempt at comedy. In a shoddily composed farce, Wincott plays as Ted Powers, a presumptuous entrepreneur whose efforts to hawk 10,000 automatized ashtrays are squelched when his buyer dies, spurring Ted to seek the services of a particularly unsavoury loan shark, Leo Schnyder (Géza Kovács). Here is where the film's director displays too slack a grip upon the narrative, its superfluity of characters showing up severe weaknesses in plot construction, with Leo coveting Ted's spouse upon seeing her photograph, and another Schnyder (unrelated) who resides in the same apartment hotel, Larry (Allan Katz), also becoming infatuated with Ted's wife Sue, performed by Tina Theberge. Paper-thin motivation along similar lines is meant to account for the actions of two other men employed at a discount retail store owned by Larry's father, and as even more personages join into the scenario, a viewer will find it quite daunting indeed to discover any internal order within the storyline. Loan shark Leo enjoys donning traditional garb of a matador while jousting in energetic fashion with his girlfriend who wears bull-like horns and naught else, this being but one of overmany slapstick elements clogging a film that would have benefited a good deal more from greater development of Wincott's role. The latter's Deer In Headlights mien will be appealing to most audiences, but his part becomes submerged 'neath the script's inanities, and warming to Ted's financial plight is obstructed by Sue's romantic involvement with sundry males. Although some efforts to include satiric scenes are meant as with tongue-in-cheek, they become merely ridiculous since second-rate elements, notably the sub-standard direction and post-production efforts, prevail. Talented Cornelia Strube, who later earned renown as a novelist, handily gains acting honours for a well-created role.