The Big Empty (2003)

A budding actor is faced with a stalled career and a mountain of debt.

Director:

Steve Anderson

Writer:

Steve Anderson

Stars:

Jon Favreau, Joey Lauren Adams, Daryl Hannah

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Favreau	...	John Person
Joey Lauren Adams	...	Grace
Bud Cort	...	Neely
Jon Gries	...	Elron
Daryl Hannah	...	Stella
Adam Beach	...	Randy
Gary Farmer	...	Indian Bob
Rachael Leigh Cook	...	Ruthie
Brent Briscoe	...	Dan
Melora Walters	...	Candy
Kelsey Grammer	...	Agent Banks
Sean Bean	...	Cowboy
Alejandra Aguilan	...	Traveler
Jay Brothers	...	Traveler
Sara Fouts	...	Traveler

Storyline

Would be-Hollywood actor John Person always considered his bizarre neighbor Neely a conspiracy theory nut-case. Still he accepts a simple task to wipe out his over $27,000 debt: delivering a blue suitcase to some Cowboy at Baker, in the empty desert. The place proves a nest of weirdos, including extremely jealous Randy and his girl Ruthie, who seduces John. He learns Neely was murdered, and FBI agent Banks grills him as prime suspect. Yet the weirdest is still to come once Cowboy turns up.

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Plot Keywords:

cowboy | neighbor | desert | suitcase | fbi agent | 

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Taglines:

The middle of nowhere is a funny place to find yourself

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual dialogue

Details

Official Sites:

Official site production company

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 2009 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

El gran destino

Filming Locations:

Baker, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aura Entertainment, Echo Lake Productions (I), North by Northwest Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the first shot after the RV stops, its light falls around one of the suitcases. Over the several shots, this suitcase gradually moves itself out of the pool of light.

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Quotes

Randy: She broke up with me!
John Person: So you tied her up?

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Connections

References Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

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Soundtracks

"LAST GO ROUND"
Written by F. Lee Jones
Performed by Ron Levy
Courtesy of Rounder Records
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

A mess

The two dozen or so people who liked it have given their comments and said not to listen to the critics, who didn't.

I say, "Listen to those critics!"

I watched it with my daughter's boyfriend. At the end, we looked at each other and went, "Huh?"

There are many things wrong with it. None of these things are fatal individually: taken together, doom is inevitable. They include confusing plot, unresolved plot points, lack of exposition, slow story telling, irrelevant subplots, and lack of credibility (which is quite something given the subject matter - imagine how utterly unconvincing a film must be if you start out being prepared to suspend your disbelief about aliens, and you end up thinking the whole film is a bunch of preposterous claptrap).

A wonderfully eclectic cast is wasted on this mess. What on earth did they think they were doing? If the pitch reflected the finished article, I can't imagine how anyone was persuaded to put up the money to make it.