Reviews & Ratings for
The Big Empty More at IMDbPro »

9 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
The vast wasteland that can be the lonely person's soul until otherwise engaged., 31 December 2005

Author: ebbtide37 from United States

Lisa Chang and Newton Thomas Sigel's "The Big Empty" is without a doubt the best short that I have ever seen. The cinematography is beautiful and thoughtful, and the story is as well, if a little (humorously) twisted. Selma Blair gives a rather touching and witty performance as "Alice" that affects the audience, which is often rare for such a short film. Even Garbriel Mann's aptly named "The Thoughtful Man" makes one a little weak in the knees, with but only a few mere minutes on screen. I fell in love with this film, and I highly recommend this to anyone possessing an ability to properly suspend disbelief long enough to become absolutely enraptured.

11 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
This movie is about, 5 September 2005

Author: mackenziejamieson from United States

"This movie is about Alice's vagina and the vast arctic tundra." ...at least that is how the NY Film and Video Festival program summarized the movie. The Big Empty is short story about completing oneself through finding love. If you have the chance to see this film, have the expectations of a hilariously bizarre Woody Allen movie meets the works of Vonnegut to understand the humor of this film.

Gynecologist after gynecologist cannot help Alice figure out and cure the hurt she feels. Finally one of her coworkers refers Alice to a specialists. Though fed up with doctors, Alice gives the specialists a chance. What does the specialist discover? Nothing. Alice is completely empty. In fact, she is so empty, her vagina is as empty as the Artic Tundra. Amazed, the specialists takes Alice on tour to show the world how empty she is. But Alice still hurts...that is until one person comes along...

Wow...is this a strange film..., 28 November 2008

Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The best way to describe this short film is by saying that it is about equal parts Surrealism and Absurdism. The plot is just too strange to imagine without massive amounts of drugs or a severe head injury! Yet despite all this strangeness, it's still a very good film.

One thing obvious is that this is unlike almost all recent short films because it has an amazing budget and a ton of professional acting talent--people with big names in Hollywood. The executive producer is George Clooney and Newton Thomas Sigel (director of "House" and a man with many credits for cinematography) so-wrote and co-directed. Lisa Chang, a new-comer also co-wrote and co-directed. However, I assume Sigel was the reason we see Hugh Laurie in a bit role, though other familiar faces (such as Richard Kind and Selma Blair) are in the film as well. Plus, when you see the special effects and professional look to the film, it's obvious this is not a typical "starving young artist" production! The plot is totally absurd. A woman (Blair) complains about feeling pains inside. However, after seeing many doctors, she's gotten totally contradictory diagnoses from each. Finally, in a scene that will knock your socks off, a doctor (Elias Koteas) is sucked up inside Blair through her vagina while he's performing a gynecological exam!!! Inside, he discovers a vast world--a barren and cold wasteland. And from this point on, the film continues with this absurd idea and runs with it.

The film also is about loneliness and pain--that is where the surreal and metaphorical aspects of the film come into play. This all comes to the forefront when an earnest member of the TV audience (yes, by now she's become a TV phenomenon) crawls inside and appears to be lost forever.

This is one film you just need to see for yourself to understand and appreciate. I am sure it's just too weird or adult for some out there, but if you are patient, there is some depth and beauty to this strange allegorical tale.

2 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
A movie about loneliness, 15 April 2006

Author: alpi_wan_kenobi from Turkey

This movie is about Alice's vagina and other characters around her. She has pain in her vagina and during examination very cold tundra place is found in it. During movie a lot of characters( doctor, Eskimo's, scientists) is entering in her vagina but find nothing. In fact, there is only problem about her,pain. nobody concern about that except a man.

Selma Blair played very successfully in this short movie. She could show the loneliness of Alice. I think everybody that seen this movie can find something about life, especially love.

Therefore George Clooney and Peter Soderbergh are the executive producers of this movie. Finally, this movie should be watched, I promise you would have a nice time.

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