I watched this movie with curiosity rather than interest inasmuch as I'd seen some comments that it had "bombed" when initially released. The ratings in IMDB, where as many people rated it a four as rated it a ten, clearly showed that it elicits a wide range of individual reactions. Personally I thought that it was worth watching but has a number of weaknesses. Jack Ryan (Ryan O'Neal) is a drifter working as a farm field worker. Fired for getting into a fight he escapes trial due to the intervention of the local judge, Sam Mirakian (Van Heflin). Jack is told to leave town by the farm supervisor Bob Rodgers (Robert Webber). However he stays after meeting the farm owner, "pickle king" Ray Ritchie (James Daly) and his secretary/mistress Nancy Barker (Leigh Taylor-Young). Jack takes a job as handyman at a hotel owned by the judge where he also meets a divorced woman, Joanne (Lee Grant), and her daughter. Unfortunately Jack begins to romance Nancy who turns out to be a thrill seeker (nice 1960's exploitation movie term!). Thrills include vandalism, breaking and entering and more (no sense giving away the plot). The movie is not entirely successful. In large part this is because it was taken from a book by Elmore Leonard. His works have a significant element of black comedy but, when played straight as here, it comes off as absurd melodrama. This movie has none of the sense of fun (i.e. Get Shorty) that this nuanced material needs. Fortunately Elmore Leonard's plots are relatively complex and full of incident so the movie keeps going and doesn't sag. The actors, aside from the pleasure of seeing them all so young, are mixed. Ryan O'Neal is best at light comedy which is to say that his performance here is limited. Leigh Taylor-Young displays a far greater range although, from time to time, a little histrionic for my personal taste (but then again I'm not a big Bette Davis fan either). While I've always looked forward to seeing Robert Webber I have to admit that he has only one expression throughout this movie. James Daly is underutilized but does have one extremely nasty scene, in the delicious sense of the word, pimping Nancy ("How would I know, I'm in produce"). The revelation is Van Heflin who is far more avuncular than I've ever seen him. I swear he was "channeling" Brian Keith! Unfortunately he lived only another two years and we lost what could have been a very interesting career as an older "character" man. RIP. The technical credits are fine and the gorgeous California scenery, I suspect the Monterey peninsula, would convince me to move. Overall the movie is worth watching but shows why Elmore Leonard's novels have a reputation for being poorly adapted to the screen.
16 Reviews
All about kicks
bkoganbing15 December 2015
Taking advantage of the enormous publicity from the small screen when cast members Ryan O'Neal and Leigh Taylor-Young became a small screen Dick and Liz, they were cast in The Big Bounce. Both were cast in roles suitable to each other, but Leigh made far more of it than Ryan.
O'Neal is a rather quick tempered drifter who is a Vietnam veteran and doing farm labor work for lack of something better. It also fits the unsettled character of his nature. As the film opens he's in trouble having stabbed one of the migrants, a fellow known for a nasty temper and the fact he was reputed to carry a knife.
Knowing all that the local town judge Van Heflin persuades the prosecutor to drop the whole thing and Heflin offers room, board, and a job at his motel. But O'Neal finds something Heflin can't compete with in the intriguing and sexy mantrap Leigh Taylor-Young.
Maybe Carroll Baker in Baby Doll made a sexier big screen debut, but she's the only one I can think of. Taylor-Young is a child of the Sixties. She's the kept mistress of Robert Webber manager of the pickle works and the biggest employer in the area. She's also one spoiled rotten and dangerously psychotic woman. What Taylor-Young is is all about kicks, getting them wherever she can.
The question is will O'Neal who isn't the strongest of characters be able to resist this woman and the dangerous things she does just to get what she calls The Big Bounce.
The Big Bounce is an inauspicious debut for O'Neal who would really hit it big shortly with Love Story. But it did guarantee him a lengthy career. But Mrs. O'Neal really runs away with this picture as the kind of woman that ought to come with a warning label.
O'Neal is a rather quick tempered drifter who is a Vietnam veteran and doing farm labor work for lack of something better. It also fits the unsettled character of his nature. As the film opens he's in trouble having stabbed one of the migrants, a fellow known for a nasty temper and the fact he was reputed to carry a knife.
Knowing all that the local town judge Van Heflin persuades the prosecutor to drop the whole thing and Heflin offers room, board, and a job at his motel. But O'Neal finds something Heflin can't compete with in the intriguing and sexy mantrap Leigh Taylor-Young.
Maybe Carroll Baker in Baby Doll made a sexier big screen debut, but she's the only one I can think of. Taylor-Young is a child of the Sixties. She's the kept mistress of Robert Webber manager of the pickle works and the biggest employer in the area. She's also one spoiled rotten and dangerously psychotic woman. What Taylor-Young is is all about kicks, getting them wherever she can.
The question is will O'Neal who isn't the strongest of characters be able to resist this woman and the dangerous things she does just to get what she calls The Big Bounce.
The Big Bounce is an inauspicious debut for O'Neal who would really hit it big shortly with Love Story. But it did guarantee him a lengthy career. But Mrs. O'Neal really runs away with this picture as the kind of woman that ought to come with a warning label.
Terrible Beachy Score for a Neo Noir ruled by Leigh Taylor-Young
TheFearmakers25 January 2021
If there's ever been a movie ruined by a soundtrack, it's THE BIG BOUNCE: a late-sixties balance of sunny sea-blue and rural-gray tones, adapted from Elmore Leonard's Neo Noir novel beginning with a convict bashing an inmate's face with a baseball bat, and then, on parole and stuck within the small town, he's both feared and revered...
Depending who's around, and where he's at, and, while still in the film's rushed rudimentary stages, he seeks work for a dishonest rancher who exploits cucumber farm workers...
But with the help of a particular friend, he lands a soft job as a maintenance man at a beach side motel, where so much potential, pitting Ryan O'Neal against one of the sexiest sirens of Neo Noir... played by his then-wife and former PEYTON PLACE co-star Leigh Taylor-Young, who's the buried lead here: A seemingly sophisticated femme-fatale, she's bad news and big trouble.
Author Elmore Leonard said all adaptations before GET SHORTY and JACKIE BROWN never got it... But maybe, in critiquing BIG BOUNCE piecemeal, he saw a dark ray of hope in Taylor-Young's Nancy Barker, both effectively sinister and sexy...
The aforementioned crappy music, arranged by the usually capable Tony Curb, sounds like The Beach Boys possessed by folk singers drowning-out an otherwise groovy Jack Nitzsche-like surf music score -- one particularly godawful track repeats Nancy's name over and over... killing whatever edge her character's supposed to have.
But it's not all that bad: the overall vibe is lean and edgy, and there are terrific moments when Jack and Nancy hang out, night and day, discussing an upcoming heist, and possible murder. But Jack spends too much time with his old-timer friend played by veteran actor Van Heflin... so overly (and quickly) helpful to Jack's plight... he hardly has any obstacles in his way, or rungs to climb, or corners to paint himself out of.
It's really all about our femme fatale Taylor-Young being really bad and getting progressively worse (as in, badder and badder): and then, possibly becoming lethal while keeping her ridiculously beautiful poker face intact...
But really, TV director Alex March needed the intentionally flawed heart-of-gold convict ani-hero to take more risky chances, early on, to live up to any manipulative competition. And it wouldn't be the first time Ryan O'Neal would get what was supposedly his first-billed vehicle stolen by a close relative. He probably never got over PAPER MOON belonging solely to daughter and Oscar winner Tatum O'Neal.
Depending who's around, and where he's at, and, while still in the film's rushed rudimentary stages, he seeks work for a dishonest rancher who exploits cucumber farm workers...
But with the help of a particular friend, he lands a soft job as a maintenance man at a beach side motel, where so much potential, pitting Ryan O'Neal against one of the sexiest sirens of Neo Noir... played by his then-wife and former PEYTON PLACE co-star Leigh Taylor-Young, who's the buried lead here: A seemingly sophisticated femme-fatale, she's bad news and big trouble.
Author Elmore Leonard said all adaptations before GET SHORTY and JACKIE BROWN never got it... But maybe, in critiquing BIG BOUNCE piecemeal, he saw a dark ray of hope in Taylor-Young's Nancy Barker, both effectively sinister and sexy...
The aforementioned crappy music, arranged by the usually capable Tony Curb, sounds like The Beach Boys possessed by folk singers drowning-out an otherwise groovy Jack Nitzsche-like surf music score -- one particularly godawful track repeats Nancy's name over and over... killing whatever edge her character's supposed to have.
But it's not all that bad: the overall vibe is lean and edgy, and there are terrific moments when Jack and Nancy hang out, night and day, discussing an upcoming heist, and possible murder. But Jack spends too much time with his old-timer friend played by veteran actor Van Heflin... so overly (and quickly) helpful to Jack's plight... he hardly has any obstacles in his way, or rungs to climb, or corners to paint himself out of.
It's really all about our femme fatale Taylor-Young being really bad and getting progressively worse (as in, badder and badder): and then, possibly becoming lethal while keeping her ridiculously beautiful poker face intact...
But really, TV director Alex March needed the intentionally flawed heart-of-gold convict ani-hero to take more risky chances, early on, to live up to any manipulative competition. And it wouldn't be the first time Ryan O'Neal would get what was supposedly his first-billed vehicle stolen by a close relative. He probably never got over PAPER MOON belonging solely to daughter and Oscar winner Tatum O'Neal.
Sexy Mix of Noir and Teen Exploitation. Fairly Hot Stuff
jaxla27 March 2004
In its own sexy, shoddy way, this 1969 film version of an early Elmore Leonard novel is better than the recent "hip" version with Owen Wilson. It mixes film noir conventions with teen exploitation riffs and a fair amount of nudity for a guilty pleasure that's redolent of late 60s/early 70s cheeseball cinema.
Ryan O'Neal is a drifter (good hearted, of course) who hooks up with Leigh Taylor Young, a bad girl out for "kicks." Leigh gets Ryan into bed and then into vandalism and robbery and...well, you know where the film is going. It's the journey that's the fun.
O'Neal had a sort of bruised likability that worked for him on TV's Peyton Place and he uses it effectively here. Young, married to him at the time and his PPlace co star, is sulky and seductive and, oh yes, naked a lot as a girl who just wants to have fun. Their brief love scenes have a fair amount of steam to them and watching them drop their bell bottoms to go skinny dipping gives the whole movie a certain "Boogie Nights" flavor. The (then) O'Neals were one hot couple.
There's a good supporting cast: Robert Webber, Lee Grant, doing a dry run for "Shampoo" as a horny divorcee, James Daly, a nice, slimy villain who pimps out Ms. Young to some business men, and Van Heflin in what may be his last role. On the downside, the direction is a bit flat, lacking in the kind of edge that can really make a crime story cook. And the score, as noted in another post, is atrocious, poured like syrup over scene after scene.
The Big Bounce definetly qualifies as a guilty pleasure, what with Ms. Young going hysterical and smashing a living room up with a fire poker and O'Neal smashing an opponent smack in the face with a baseball bat, and in the credits no less. All in all, this version is preferable to the Owen Wilson one in which you can practically see the actors' tongues push out their cheeks as they condescend to the materail. Here there's a fair amount of sweat, exploitation and a hint of camp as the good looking leads go through their noir paces. Worth a rental.
Ryan O'Neal is a drifter (good hearted, of course) who hooks up with Leigh Taylor Young, a bad girl out for "kicks." Leigh gets Ryan into bed and then into vandalism and robbery and...well, you know where the film is going. It's the journey that's the fun.
O'Neal had a sort of bruised likability that worked for him on TV's Peyton Place and he uses it effectively here. Young, married to him at the time and his PPlace co star, is sulky and seductive and, oh yes, naked a lot as a girl who just wants to have fun. Their brief love scenes have a fair amount of steam to them and watching them drop their bell bottoms to go skinny dipping gives the whole movie a certain "Boogie Nights" flavor. The (then) O'Neals were one hot couple.
There's a good supporting cast: Robert Webber, Lee Grant, doing a dry run for "Shampoo" as a horny divorcee, James Daly, a nice, slimy villain who pimps out Ms. Young to some business men, and Van Heflin in what may be his last role. On the downside, the direction is a bit flat, lacking in the kind of edge that can really make a crime story cook. And the score, as noted in another post, is atrocious, poured like syrup over scene after scene.
The Big Bounce definetly qualifies as a guilty pleasure, what with Ms. Young going hysterical and smashing a living room up with a fire poker and O'Neal smashing an opponent smack in the face with a baseball bat, and in the credits no less. All in all, this version is preferable to the Owen Wilson one in which you can practically see the actors' tongues push out their cheeks as they condescend to the materail. Here there's a fair amount of sweat, exploitation and a hint of camp as the good looking leads go through their noir paces. Worth a rental.
Could the music be any worse ???
h2oboy97929 January 2002
Well basically my description says it all... not a bad movie but terrible music, especially from a period of such GREAT music. The music really ruins the movie. It's about a worker who gets in a fight and hits another worker in the face with a bat and well i dont want to ruin the movie if you feel like seeing it, despite the music....
Flawed, but fun Elmore Leonard adaptation with Ryan O'Neal is at his sexiest
robb_7726 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The works of author Elmore Leonard are not known to make the transfer from the page to the screen very successfully. Sure, 1995's GET SHORTY was a big success, but HOMBRE (1967), THE 52 PICK-UP (1986), and CAT CHASER (1989) were all considered unqualified disasters (although HOMBRE is certainly underrated in retrospect). Unfortunately, 1969's THE BIG BOUNCE is also considered among those disasters, which is a totally undeserved fate for such an efficiently effective little film. In fact, I dare say I enjoyed THE BIG BOUNCE even more than GET SHORTY.
The film opened to scathing bad reviews upon its release in spring of 1969, and audiences stayed away in droves (the film was never even released on home video until 35 years after its theatrical release in 2004). I haven't read Leonard's original novel, so I have no idea how faithful the film is when compared to the source material. I can say, however, that director Alex March and screenwriter Robert Dozier do a fine job keeping the momentum going, as the film moves along at a pleasing pace. And while the picture may not exactly have Oscar-worthy cinematography, the film is certainly good to look at, especially in its original Panavision widescreen format.
The film's major ace-in-the-hole, however, is the always-terrific Ryan O'Neal in the lead. Although O'Neal was a major star in the seventies, starring in the smash hits LOVE STORY (1970), WHAT'S UP, DOC? (1972), and PAPER MOON (1973), he has never really seemed to receive his deserved props for being the truly topnotch actor that he is. Even in the absolute worst films (and he has made more than a few), I have yet to see him give a lackluster performance. And this film is no exception.
After five years of starring on the popular primetime soap opera "Peyton Place," O'Neal made his starring debut in this film, and it is clear he had already begun mastering a respectable craft. From beginning to end, he is completely believable as our hapless hero. You never doubt his genuineness. It is yet another performance that makes you set up and ask yourself, "Why didn't this man get any more respect back in the day?"
Of course, even if he never received much critical kudos, Ryan was certainly one of the top male pinups of his era. The reason is clear: in addition to being drop-dead-gorgeous, Ryan also was not the least bit shy about sharing his beautiful body with the rest of the free world. He always gave us exactly what we were wanting to see, and it all began here in THE BIG BOUNCE. Appearing in various stages of undress throughout the entire film, if watching Ryan in this film doesn't get you hotter than hell, then you better run out and get some Viagra.
As for the rest of the cast, Leigh Taylor-Young, who was married to Ryan at the time of the film's release, is amusing as the wild and crazy hellion. Although Taylor-Young is far from my favorite actress, she really gives the part her all and is an absolute hoot to watch. The chemistry between her and O'Neal is magnetic, and some of their scenes together are pretty steamy. Leigh also looks terrific here, and does a somewhat surprising amount of nudity (isn't it odd that films from the late-sixties and early-seventies often have more causal nudity than films today).
The camp honors for the film must go to future Oscar-winner Lee Grant, who probably likes to forget she appeared in this film. Grant turns in a hysterically unsubtle performance as the hot-to-trot single mom who lusts after Ryan throughout the picture (can't say I blame her). Grant literally trembles with unrestrained horniness anytime she is around O'Neal, and some of their scenes together are marvelously entertaining kitsch. She's basically all over the place at once, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't find her entertaining.
The young Lisa Eilbacher is surprisingly credible, and displays of refreshing minimum of kiddie star cuteness as the young daughter of Grant's character. In particular, Eilbacher flawlessly handles one very difficult scene with such accuracy and truth that she provides the film with its one true heart-wrenching moment. Not surprisingly, Eilbacher continued acting and raked up numerous credits throughout the seventies and eighties, although she had not been seen in anything new for nearly 20 years now. I'd certainly like to know what she's been up to.
The rest of the cast is filled out by a good assortment of character actors, a better lot than I would have expected, including James Daly and Robert Webber. The best of the group is easily Van Heflin, in a touchingly unsentimental performance as O'Neal's boss/father figure. It's very nice little portrait of tough love that feels refreshingly unforced, and it's a fitting bookend to the career of Heflin, who died a few short years later in 1971. All of the other minor roles are acceptably cast as well.
Although the film is definitely underrated, it still is not perfect. Although it's enjoyable while it's playing, the film never really adds up to much in the end. It is further marred by an abrupt ending that ties things up too quickly and an absolutely atrocious music score (seriously, it's one of the worst original film scores that I've ever heard). Still, I guarantee that THE BIG BOUNCE will give you a couple hours of grooving, sexy fun. And the young Ryan O'Neal is very much worth checking out, especially here at the peak of his physical beauty.
The film opened to scathing bad reviews upon its release in spring of 1969, and audiences stayed away in droves (the film was never even released on home video until 35 years after its theatrical release in 2004). I haven't read Leonard's original novel, so I have no idea how faithful the film is when compared to the source material. I can say, however, that director Alex March and screenwriter Robert Dozier do a fine job keeping the momentum going, as the film moves along at a pleasing pace. And while the picture may not exactly have Oscar-worthy cinematography, the film is certainly good to look at, especially in its original Panavision widescreen format.
The film's major ace-in-the-hole, however, is the always-terrific Ryan O'Neal in the lead. Although O'Neal was a major star in the seventies, starring in the smash hits LOVE STORY (1970), WHAT'S UP, DOC? (1972), and PAPER MOON (1973), he has never really seemed to receive his deserved props for being the truly topnotch actor that he is. Even in the absolute worst films (and he has made more than a few), I have yet to see him give a lackluster performance. And this film is no exception.
After five years of starring on the popular primetime soap opera "Peyton Place," O'Neal made his starring debut in this film, and it is clear he had already begun mastering a respectable craft. From beginning to end, he is completely believable as our hapless hero. You never doubt his genuineness. It is yet another performance that makes you set up and ask yourself, "Why didn't this man get any more respect back in the day?"
Of course, even if he never received much critical kudos, Ryan was certainly one of the top male pinups of his era. The reason is clear: in addition to being drop-dead-gorgeous, Ryan also was not the least bit shy about sharing his beautiful body with the rest of the free world. He always gave us exactly what we were wanting to see, and it all began here in THE BIG BOUNCE. Appearing in various stages of undress throughout the entire film, if watching Ryan in this film doesn't get you hotter than hell, then you better run out and get some Viagra.
As for the rest of the cast, Leigh Taylor-Young, who was married to Ryan at the time of the film's release, is amusing as the wild and crazy hellion. Although Taylor-Young is far from my favorite actress, she really gives the part her all and is an absolute hoot to watch. The chemistry between her and O'Neal is magnetic, and some of their scenes together are pretty steamy. Leigh also looks terrific here, and does a somewhat surprising amount of nudity (isn't it odd that films from the late-sixties and early-seventies often have more causal nudity than films today).
The camp honors for the film must go to future Oscar-winner Lee Grant, who probably likes to forget she appeared in this film. Grant turns in a hysterically unsubtle performance as the hot-to-trot single mom who lusts after Ryan throughout the picture (can't say I blame her). Grant literally trembles with unrestrained horniness anytime she is around O'Neal, and some of their scenes together are marvelously entertaining kitsch. She's basically all over the place at once, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't find her entertaining.
The young Lisa Eilbacher is surprisingly credible, and displays of refreshing minimum of kiddie star cuteness as the young daughter of Grant's character. In particular, Eilbacher flawlessly handles one very difficult scene with such accuracy and truth that she provides the film with its one true heart-wrenching moment. Not surprisingly, Eilbacher continued acting and raked up numerous credits throughout the seventies and eighties, although she had not been seen in anything new for nearly 20 years now. I'd certainly like to know what she's been up to.
The rest of the cast is filled out by a good assortment of character actors, a better lot than I would have expected, including James Daly and Robert Webber. The best of the group is easily Van Heflin, in a touchingly unsentimental performance as O'Neal's boss/father figure. It's very nice little portrait of tough love that feels refreshingly unforced, and it's a fitting bookend to the career of Heflin, who died a few short years later in 1971. All of the other minor roles are acceptably cast as well.
Although the film is definitely underrated, it still is not perfect. Although it's enjoyable while it's playing, the film never really adds up to much in the end. It is further marred by an abrupt ending that ties things up too quickly and an absolutely atrocious music score (seriously, it's one of the worst original film scores that I've ever heard). Still, I guarantee that THE BIG BOUNCE will give you a couple hours of grooving, sexy fun. And the young Ryan O'Neal is very much worth checking out, especially here at the peak of his physical beauty.
Another Case of the Remake Being Better Than The Original
dtb20 September 2004
Out of curiosity, I rented the 1969 film version of THE BIG BOUNCE from Netflix, and it proved the underrated 2004 edition (which I reviewed elsewhere on the IMDb) to be another example of a remake that's way better than the original! The two versions of TBB are fairly close in plotting, but this year's model captures source author Elmore Leonard's loopy, cynical sense of humor much better, skipping the original film's mawkish asides and heavy-handed attempts at poignancy and psychodrama. For instance, the self-pitying, self-destructive, male-afflicted single mom played by Lee Grant in 1969 is rebooted in the latest edition as a cheerfully coquettish tourist played by Anahit Minasyan, whose fate is much more upbeat than poor Grant's. Also, TBB Mark 2's Hawaiian setting and George S. Clinton's playful score combining rock and Hawaiian-style music appealed to me more than TBB Mark 1's been-there-done-that Los Angeles locales (by the way, I seem to recall that Leonard's book is set in Detroit) and syrupy soft rock by Mike Curb, of all people. Next to The Mike Curb Congregation, The Brady Bunch's album sounds like the Rolling Stones' greatest hits! Even if it didn't sound hilariously dated to early 21st-century ears, Curb's score is still all wrong for a downbeat crime drama like the '69 model (not that the first film is completely humor-free; Van Heflin's eccentrically-decorated home was one of the film's few bright spots). I almost got the feeling Curb originally composed the music for an entirely different kind of film, perhaps some perky, inspirational heart-warmer starring the folks from Up With People which never got off the ground, so someone decided to graft Curb's score onto TBB v. 1 instead of letting it go to waste. While both films have great casts overall (the original includes Heflin, James Daly, and Robert Webber in the roles played this year by Morgan Freeman, Gary Sinise, and Charlie Sheen), in the starring role of ex-con Jack Ryan, Owen Wilson's wisecracking slackertude in TBB Mark 2 is much more engaging than Ryan O'Neal's personality in TBB Mark 1. While I've enjoyed O'Neal in comedies, particularly 1972's WHAT'S UP, DOC?, I've never liked him in dramas. To me, O'Neal has always come across as moist and mewling when he's supposed to be tender and sensitive, and surly and petulant when he's supposed to be tough and hard nosed, and his performance in TBB #1 is no exception. However, both films have terrific leading ladies playing thrill-seeking kept woman Nancy: the current version marks Sara Foster's screen debut, while the original starred the lovely and beguiling Leigh Taylor-Young, then O'Neal's real-life wife and former co-star on TV's PEYTON PLACE. (Fun Fact: Leigh Taylor-Young was nominated for a Laurel Award for Best Female New Face for her performance in TBB.) The chemistry between O'Neal and LT-Y is one of the film's few saving graces; they sure seem to enjoy tearing their clothes off, and they look good doing it, too! :-) Alas, except for the occasional memorable line (for example, here's Heflin slyly commenting on O'Neal's phone chat with LT-Y: "You look like the mouse that got swallowed by the pussy."), Robert Dozier's screenplay can't seem to decide whether Nancy is a victim of callous men, a calculating femme fatal, or a plain old homicidal psycho. The critics who panned TBB Mark 2 obviously never had to suffer through Mark 1! If you've got your heart set on an at-home Elmore Leonard film festival, rent GET SHORTY, OUT OF SIGHT, even the overlong but still exceptional JACKIE BROWN, and include THE BIG BOUNCE -- but unless you lust after Ryan O'Neal and Leigh Taylor-Young in their prime, make sure you get your mitts on the superior 2004 version!
Accurate portrait of a sexually abused young woman going mad
rowmorg28 March 2009
I'm giving this seven although the terrible music almost makes the picture unwatchable. What is interesting is Leigh Taylor-Young's portrayal of an under-age woman driven mad by being debauched, perverted and corrupted by a string of rich old men to whom she is pimped by her ageing moneybags employer. Dutch Leonard, author of the original novel, got his facts right here, and it gives the movie an underlying force that can't be denied. It's a surprise to find that the principal character is not Ryan O'Neal, who is wooden and sulky as the out-of-place "anglo" farm-worker in rural Monterey, but instead his then-wife and co-star Taylor-Young. Her character has gone over the edge as a result of being seduced by the local Senator at the instigation of her employer and bed-mate, the local landlord. Taylor-Young gets right into it, yipping and chortling as she turns over other cars and pumps bullets into mistaken interlopers. Her plan to rip off her employer for the fortune in his house-safe never comes off (at least not during the picture's action), and she escapes a murder charge, but as Van Heflin's character grimly points out: "Give it a month or ten years: she'll get hers". Worth watching just for Taylor-Young's performance, about one-third of which is in the nude. This film is a rare insight into female psychology, almost in spite of itself.
The Big Bounce Of Ryan O'Neal's Big Bum
strong-122-47888522 June 2013
Yep. "The Big Bounce" was a big-Big-BIG bore.
Just a cheap, grubby, little Soap Opera at heart, this easily forgettable film from 1968 stars the 28 year-old heart-throb, Ryan O'Neal.
O'Neal plays the belligerent, smart-ass bad-boy, Jack Ryan, who gets sexually involved with his ex-boss's mistress, the despicable, calculating bitch named Nancy, who, using her womanly wiles, tries to trick him into being her stooge and partner in crime.
Ryan O'Neal and his co-star Leigh Taylor-Young made for a repulsively dreary pair of on-screen lovers who seemed to be doing a whole lot more bickering than they were actually doing any of the "you-know-what" stuff. (Ho-Hum!)
This film contains both male and female nudity. (Yep. That's right. Even Ryan O'Neal gives us a gander at his beefy butt-cheeks)
Just a cheap, grubby, little Soap Opera at heart, this easily forgettable film from 1968 stars the 28 year-old heart-throb, Ryan O'Neal.
O'Neal plays the belligerent, smart-ass bad-boy, Jack Ryan, who gets sexually involved with his ex-boss's mistress, the despicable, calculating bitch named Nancy, who, using her womanly wiles, tries to trick him into being her stooge and partner in crime.
Ryan O'Neal and his co-star Leigh Taylor-Young made for a repulsively dreary pair of on-screen lovers who seemed to be doing a whole lot more bickering than they were actually doing any of the "you-know-what" stuff. (Ho-Hum!)
This film contains both male and female nudity. (Yep. That's right. Even Ryan O'Neal gives us a gander at his beefy butt-cheeks)
Still bounces
tomsview16 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"The Big Bounce" scrambles to fit in all its elements, but holds your attention and has interesting stars: two starting their movie careers and one finishing his.
Jack Ryan (Ryan O'Neal), a Vietnam veteran and petty criminal attempting to go straight, has little direction in his life. After losing his job as a cucumber picker in California he meets two people: one, Sam Mirakian (Van Heflin), a worldly-wise magistrate, tries to help him, while the other, unpredictable party girl Nancy Barker (Leigh Taylor-Young), invites him to join her in a walk on the wild side.
Feeling a little like a TV movie, "The Big Bounce" is not helped by a rather detached score by Mike Curb – definitely of the elevator music variety. The film used to appear regularly on Australian television in the 70's and 80's, but the only place it pops up now is on TCM. At one stage they used to chop out all the nude scenes - which would have left a fair amount of footage on the cutting room floor - however of late, they seem to have reinstated them.
Ryan O'Neal in his first film is a little brittle in places although the camera loves the guy – you can appreciate his screen presence more now that he is no longer so high profile.
I have always enjoyed Van Heflin's work and here he gives a variation on that sage character he made his trademark – integrity personified. He was 57 when he made this but looked much older; it suits his character perfectly.
Leigh Taylor-Young, holds the spotlight with an uninhibited performance, surprisingly so as she was Ryan O'Neal's wife at the time.
If the film reminds me of any other it would be "Pretty Poison", especially the relationship between the guy, who thinks he's in charge, and the girl who is far more dangerous and scheming. Both films came out around the same time, but "Pretty Poison" has a lighter touch and genuine wit. In fact the major weakness of "The Big Bounce" is that it is rather humourless.
Of course that was the element Owen Wilson injected into the remake in 2004 and it worked to a point, but the film meandered; the 1969 version is actually a tighter movie.
It's not a classic, but "The Big Bounce" is still quite watchable, and the stars make it worth a look even after 40 years.
Jack Ryan (Ryan O'Neal), a Vietnam veteran and petty criminal attempting to go straight, has little direction in his life. After losing his job as a cucumber picker in California he meets two people: one, Sam Mirakian (Van Heflin), a worldly-wise magistrate, tries to help him, while the other, unpredictable party girl Nancy Barker (Leigh Taylor-Young), invites him to join her in a walk on the wild side.
Feeling a little like a TV movie, "The Big Bounce" is not helped by a rather detached score by Mike Curb – definitely of the elevator music variety. The film used to appear regularly on Australian television in the 70's and 80's, but the only place it pops up now is on TCM. At one stage they used to chop out all the nude scenes - which would have left a fair amount of footage on the cutting room floor - however of late, they seem to have reinstated them.
Ryan O'Neal in his first film is a little brittle in places although the camera loves the guy – you can appreciate his screen presence more now that he is no longer so high profile.
I have always enjoyed Van Heflin's work and here he gives a variation on that sage character he made his trademark – integrity personified. He was 57 when he made this but looked much older; it suits his character perfectly.
Leigh Taylor-Young, holds the spotlight with an uninhibited performance, surprisingly so as she was Ryan O'Neal's wife at the time.
If the film reminds me of any other it would be "Pretty Poison", especially the relationship between the guy, who thinks he's in charge, and the girl who is far more dangerous and scheming. Both films came out around the same time, but "Pretty Poison" has a lighter touch and genuine wit. In fact the major weakness of "The Big Bounce" is that it is rather humourless.
Of course that was the element Owen Wilson injected into the remake in 2004 and it worked to a point, but the film meandered; the 1969 version is actually a tighter movie.
It's not a classic, but "The Big Bounce" is still quite watchable, and the stars make it worth a look even after 40 years.
Leaving "Peyton Place"
wes-connors28 November 2009
One of the mysterious young women trying to fill the footsteps left by a fleeing Mia Farrow on ABC-TV's "Peyton Place" was lovely Leigh Taylor-Young. Instead of providing the camera with clues for locating Mia, the coy Ms. Young hooked up with roddy Ryan O'Neal, who had been serving as the town's good-looking hunk for several years. Mr. O'Neal was looking to follow castmate Farrow into movie stardom, and newcomer Young encouraged changes. Call it "The Big Bounce".
Alas, millions did not flock to the sinsational new gossiped-about couple on the big screen, although the film featured beautiful California scenery, a very generous helping of Young's naked form, and some brief views of hunky O'Neal's buttocks. The Mike Curb score may be a deterrent, but the movie could grow on you. It's a sexy time capsule, at least. Veteran Van Heflin gets the best of writer Elmore Leonard's lines, and Lee Grant (yet another "Peyton Place" alumni) always helps.
**** The Big Bounce (3/5/69) Alex March ~ Ryan O'Neal, Leigh Taylor-Young, Van Heflin, Lee Grant
Alas, millions did not flock to the sinsational new gossiped-about couple on the big screen, although the film featured beautiful California scenery, a very generous helping of Young's naked form, and some brief views of hunky O'Neal's buttocks. The Mike Curb score may be a deterrent, but the movie could grow on you. It's a sexy time capsule, at least. Veteran Van Heflin gets the best of writer Elmore Leonard's lines, and Lee Grant (yet another "Peyton Place" alumni) always helps.
**** The Big Bounce (3/5/69) Alex March ~ Ryan O'Neal, Leigh Taylor-Young, Van Heflin, Lee Grant
Just the music, please
tpmetp6 November 2009
As I'm a product of the 60's, this is classic fare for the movies. Campy yes, but many were. Someone mentioned the soft nude scenes, etc. Well, that was the usual fare as well. We didn't get 'in your face' sex. I miss those days, to be honest.
Now, as far as the music is concerned, whether the music matches the movie is debatable. One should realize 'The Mike Curb Sound' was quite popular to the straight-laced of my era. I enjoyed it but I enjoyed Zappa and Reed too.. go figure.
As a record collector, The Big Bounce soundtrack is one that should be included in one's collection. In fact, the original pressing is collectible now. There are a few quite nice tracks on it. Curb almost got a little out there on couple tunes, but, he reeled himself back in.
I think I know music pretty well as I have collected since the 60's and I say, in and of itself, the album is pretty darn good.
Now, as far as the music is concerned, whether the music matches the movie is debatable. One should realize 'The Mike Curb Sound' was quite popular to the straight-laced of my era. I enjoyed it but I enjoyed Zappa and Reed too.. go figure.
As a record collector, The Big Bounce soundtrack is one that should be included in one's collection. In fact, the original pressing is collectible now. There are a few quite nice tracks on it. Curb almost got a little out there on couple tunes, but, he reeled himself back in.
I think I know music pretty well as I have collected since the 60's and I say, in and of itself, the album is pretty darn good.
Is she a nutty thrill-seeker or is she setting him up?
planktonrules11 April 2024
"Elmore Leonard called this adaptation of his book "an awful movie"...IMDB Trivia.
"The Big Bounce" is Ryan O'Neal's first theatrical film. I saw it mostly because one of the supporting actors is Van Heflin...a darn fine actor from Hollywood's golden age.
Jack (O'Neal) is a guy who's drifted since being discharged from the Army. He also is a guy with a criminal record for Burglary and Assault. Perhaps this is why Nancy (Leigh Taylor-Young) is so smitten with him. Regardless, she takes her clothes off OFTEN to get the drooling Jack to do what she wants. Now he protests a lot...but off come her clothes and he complies. This leads to complications, such as when she runs a dune buggy off the road (possibly killing the occupants) for kicks. She also proposes he help her with a robbery...one that will be 'fun'. And, once again, he agrees to go along with this flaky lady...and you assume it's because of her super-powers of persuasion...in other words, her hot bod. What's next? See the film yourself and find out.
In some ways this is a tough movie for some to watch. After all, there are not 'good guys' in the film. But it is a mildly interesting character study of a woman who appears to have a Borderline Personality with strong Antisocial features (I used to diagnose folks when I was a therapist and this one is right or at least close!).
You probably noticed the quote from IMDB where the writer calls this an awful film. Obviously he wasn't thrilled with it. I didn't think it was terrible, though a few of the characters and plots are WAY underdeveloped...especially the one involving Lee Grant and her onscreen daughter. It's almost criminally underdeveloped and it really doesn't work well...as if they edited out most of this plot but forgot to edit out it all. But as far as the plot involving Young, it is compelling. After all, you wonder....is she some nutty thrill-seeker or is she setting him up? Neither one is good...and possibly the nutty thrill-seeker angle is worse considering how extreme her behaviors are! I liked but didn't love the film...and think it's worth a look.
By the way, this film has a significant amount of nudity. You might not want to show it to your kids or your mom or Father O'Reilly.
"The Big Bounce" is Ryan O'Neal's first theatrical film. I saw it mostly because one of the supporting actors is Van Heflin...a darn fine actor from Hollywood's golden age.
Jack (O'Neal) is a guy who's drifted since being discharged from the Army. He also is a guy with a criminal record for Burglary and Assault. Perhaps this is why Nancy (Leigh Taylor-Young) is so smitten with him. Regardless, she takes her clothes off OFTEN to get the drooling Jack to do what she wants. Now he protests a lot...but off come her clothes and he complies. This leads to complications, such as when she runs a dune buggy off the road (possibly killing the occupants) for kicks. She also proposes he help her with a robbery...one that will be 'fun'. And, once again, he agrees to go along with this flaky lady...and you assume it's because of her super-powers of persuasion...in other words, her hot bod. What's next? See the film yourself and find out.
In some ways this is a tough movie for some to watch. After all, there are not 'good guys' in the film. But it is a mildly interesting character study of a woman who appears to have a Borderline Personality with strong Antisocial features (I used to diagnose folks when I was a therapist and this one is right or at least close!).
You probably noticed the quote from IMDB where the writer calls this an awful film. Obviously he wasn't thrilled with it. I didn't think it was terrible, though a few of the characters and plots are WAY underdeveloped...especially the one involving Lee Grant and her onscreen daughter. It's almost criminally underdeveloped and it really doesn't work well...as if they edited out most of this plot but forgot to edit out it all. But as far as the plot involving Young, it is compelling. After all, you wonder....is she some nutty thrill-seeker or is she setting him up? Neither one is good...and possibly the nutty thrill-seeker angle is worse considering how extreme her behaviors are! I liked but didn't love the film...and think it's worth a look.
By the way, this film has a significant amount of nudity. You might not want to show it to your kids or your mom or Father O'Reilly.
Nothing Big About This Small timer
krocheav6 April 2016
When this film first screened at Warner's 7Arts in Syd, several thought it so cheap and ugly as simply not worth releasing. This was in the days when Australia still had a policy of returning works considered morally (and/or financially) bankrupt - back to their country of origin.
The Australian Censor of the day wisely did that for them, so it was packed up with a note:- not wanted in Australia - this decision proved to be of little loss. The film typified a new low grade in movie making that rapidly became the norm in the 60's and 70's, brimming with poorly written, deliberately ugly characters. Ryan O'Neill simply continued his bland character from TV's Peyton Place and was quoted as having said; 'TV is Hamburger, Cinema is Steak' - well, this shoddy offering doesn't even rate as thinly sliced bacon (burn't at that). He's featured staring with his then wife Leigh Taylor-Young, they may have been a hot couple in the social columns but proved Luke warm on screen. Young performed Playboy type nude scenes and indulged in an endless variety of super nasty actions - playing a social vandal come thief/murderess. Her character at one stage is seen kicking the body of the person she had earlier shot multiple times. Nice stuff!
Produced, directed and written by a trio of veteran TV makers, who like many others trying to graduate from the small screen seemed to think: if you make a movie in CinemaScope and Technicolor, then add heaps of heavy violence and sexual promiscuity, audiences will begin to take you seriously. How wrong they were... but sadly this trend continued to it's present state. It's not that Cinema 'grew up' (as some try to 'sell' us) it just became more sensationalistic. This movie also features one of the final performances for the great Van Hefflin (he must have needed cash badly) and wastes the talents of the capable Lee Grant in a sad and demeaning role. The best performance, and scene, involved child star Cindy Elibacher (not her sister Lisa, as one reviewer wrongly wrote) playing Grant's daughter.
It all serves to prove how difficult it was/is to successfully transfer the writings of Elmore Leonard to the screen ~ some of the better ones were: 3.10 to Yuma in '57 ~ the off-beat 'Valdez is Coming' '71 and to a lesser degree, also in '57 the interesting Randolph Scott film: 'The Tall T'. This film also features one of the most miss-matched music scores ever. Interesting composer/producer Mike Curb gave this a 'beach' movie type sound track with songs better suited to a TV travel commercial. His main-title song "When Somebody Cares for you" is played over a violent opening shot - it's actually a 'nice' song that seemed to have been written for a good Disney family film and is totally wasted in this show.
So from being banned in several countries, to now running on TCM with an 'M' rating and no proper warnings of the heavily 'suss' content, this ends up as a barometer - demonstrating how far we've slipped as a non-discerning society. Junk fans may last the distance - others may run for cover....
The Australian Censor of the day wisely did that for them, so it was packed up with a note:- not wanted in Australia - this decision proved to be of little loss. The film typified a new low grade in movie making that rapidly became the norm in the 60's and 70's, brimming with poorly written, deliberately ugly characters. Ryan O'Neill simply continued his bland character from TV's Peyton Place and was quoted as having said; 'TV is Hamburger, Cinema is Steak' - well, this shoddy offering doesn't even rate as thinly sliced bacon (burn't at that). He's featured staring with his then wife Leigh Taylor-Young, they may have been a hot couple in the social columns but proved Luke warm on screen. Young performed Playboy type nude scenes and indulged in an endless variety of super nasty actions - playing a social vandal come thief/murderess. Her character at one stage is seen kicking the body of the person she had earlier shot multiple times. Nice stuff!
Produced, directed and written by a trio of veteran TV makers, who like many others trying to graduate from the small screen seemed to think: if you make a movie in CinemaScope and Technicolor, then add heaps of heavy violence and sexual promiscuity, audiences will begin to take you seriously. How wrong they were... but sadly this trend continued to it's present state. It's not that Cinema 'grew up' (as some try to 'sell' us) it just became more sensationalistic. This movie also features one of the final performances for the great Van Hefflin (he must have needed cash badly) and wastes the talents of the capable Lee Grant in a sad and demeaning role. The best performance, and scene, involved child star Cindy Elibacher (not her sister Lisa, as one reviewer wrongly wrote) playing Grant's daughter.
It all serves to prove how difficult it was/is to successfully transfer the writings of Elmore Leonard to the screen ~ some of the better ones were: 3.10 to Yuma in '57 ~ the off-beat 'Valdez is Coming' '71 and to a lesser degree, also in '57 the interesting Randolph Scott film: 'The Tall T'. This film also features one of the most miss-matched music scores ever. Interesting composer/producer Mike Curb gave this a 'beach' movie type sound track with songs better suited to a TV travel commercial. His main-title song "When Somebody Cares for you" is played over a violent opening shot - it's actually a 'nice' song that seemed to have been written for a good Disney family film and is totally wasted in this show.
So from being banned in several countries, to now running on TCM with an 'M' rating and no proper warnings of the heavily 'suss' content, this ends up as a barometer - demonstrating how far we've slipped as a non-discerning society. Junk fans may last the distance - others may run for cover....
Lushly Filmed Trash. I Mean That in a Good Way.
Hoohawnaynay6 October 2009
Most of the other comments on here are pretty accurate. This movie really showed the loosening up of Hollywood as far as female nudity went. We get to see the beautiful Leigh Taylor-Young in various stages of nudity and looking good dressed too. Ryan never looked better. Lee Grant perfected the role of a perpetually uptight woman in Valley of The Dolls and this seems to be a continuation. The only actress in this movie that really shined was Cindy Eilbacher who could act rings around any other child actor of this or later era. Her few scenes really stand out and almost seem to be from another movie. Loved the cars, the clothes, the great character actors and YES I did love the music but it was all wrong for this movie. I think this music was meant for Dean Martin's last Matt Helm movie with Sharon Tate that never got made. It was lush orchestrated loungy pop music but was all wrong for a crime-noir movie. It really threw me off but I enjoyed hearing it from another room when I wasn't watching the screen. This also has some really great campy lines mainly from Van Heflin calling Leigh a "Quiff" in one scene and various other vague vulgarities. I really enjoyed watching Van go near the edge of camp and then pull back a bit. James Daly was perfect as a high class sleazebag. Look for Ryan's brother Kevin as the passenger in the dune buggy scene.
Overall much better than the horrendous remake, especially if you like movies that are so bad they are good.
Overall much better than the horrendous remake, especially if you like movies that are so bad they are good.
Bouncing Around
sol-15 January 2016
Unsure of where to go after wounding a vengeful local in baseball match and told to flee town, a Vietnam War veteran takes up with the mysterious young mistress of a produce farm owner in this little seen drama starring Ryan O'Neal in his first screen role. It is not the greatest debut for the Oscar nominated actor, but in what was only her second screen performance, Leigh Taylor-Young is excellent as the tantalising mistress. A femme fatale of the post-Production Code era, she plays a seductress like few others before her, revealing lots of skin and boldly parading around in the buff. She is just as effective with her clothes on too as there is an ambiguity as to whether or not she genuinely likes O'Neal or is just using him for a scheme revealed in the film's final third. That said, the scheme comes too late to provide much vigour, and easy as Taylor-Young is on the eyes, there is little else propelling the first hour. Van Heflin has a nice, understated turn as a justice of the peace, and Cindy Eilbacher is adorable, playing a surrogate daughter to O'Neal, but it is not enough to carry the film. The opportunities for more are all too apparent. Why not explore O'Neal's criminal background in further depth or how serving in Vietnam has affected him? Why not establish his desire for a daughter further? By all accounts though, the film was promoted as a vehicle for its two stars (married in real life at the time) and therefore it is easy to see why the filmmakers took a less exciting route. The film is not worthless as some of its dissenters might say, but it sure could have been a lot more.
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