Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Big Kahuna

  • 19991999
  • RR
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
15K
YOUR RATING
The Big Kahuna (1999)
Home Video Trailer from Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:34
1 Video
46 Photos
DramaComedy
Two veteran salesmen dissect a sales pitch to a particular client, through their young protégé.Two veteran salesmen dissect a sales pitch to a particular client, through their young protégé.Two veteran salesmen dissect a sales pitch to a particular client, through their young protégé.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
15K
YOUR RATING
    • John Swanbeck
    • Roger Rueff(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Kevin Spacey
    • Danny DeVito
    • Peter Facinelli
    • John Swanbeck
    • Roger Rueff(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Kevin Spacey
    • Danny DeVito
    • Peter Facinelli
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 163User reviews
    • 37Critic reviews
    • 56Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    The Big Kahuna
    Trailer 1:34
    Watch The Big Kahuna

    Photos46

    Kevin Spacey in The Big Kahuna (1999)
    Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, and Peter Facinelli in The Big Kahuna (1999)
    Peter Facinelli in The Big Kahuna (1999)
    Kevin Spacey in The Big Kahuna (1999)
    Kevin Spacey and Peter Facinelli in The Big Kahuna (1999)
    Danny DeVito in The Big Kahuna (1999)
    Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito in The Big Kahuna (1999)
    Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito in The Big Kahuna (1999)
    Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito in The Big Kahuna (1999)
    Kevin Spacey in The Big Kahuna (1999)
    Danny DeVito in The Big Kahuna (1999)
    Danny DeVito in The Big Kahuna (1999)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kevin Spacey
    Kevin Spacey
    • Larry Mann
    Danny DeVito
    Danny DeVito
    • Phil Cooper
    • (as Danny Devito)
    Peter Facinelli
    Peter Facinelli
    • Bob Walker
    Paul Dawson
    Paul Dawson
    • Bellboy
    Christopher Donahue
    Christopher Donahue
    • Bartender
    • (uncredited)
    Ron Komora
    Ron Komora
    • The Big Kahuna
    • (uncredited)
    Frank L. Messina
    Frank L. Messina
    • Business Man
    • (uncredited)
    George F. Miller
    George F. Miller
    • Hotel Patron Leaving Lobby
    • (uncredited)
      • John Swanbeck
      • Roger Rueff(screenplay) (play "Hospitality Suite")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Swimming with Sharks
    7.0
    Swimming with Sharks
    Hurlyburly
    5.8
    Hurlyburly
    The Shipping News
    6.7
    The Shipping News
    Ordinary Decent Criminal
    6.3
    Ordinary Decent Criminal
    The United States of Leland
    7.0
    The United States of Leland
    Darrow
    6.2
    Darrow
    Homegrown
    5.7
    Homegrown
    Spirit of a Denture
    6.4
    Spirit of a Denture
    The Tower of Babble
    6.7
    The Tower of Babble
    Casino Jack
    6.2
    Casino Jack
    The Legend of Al, John and Jack
    6.4
    The Legend of Al, John and Jack
    Shrink
    6.6
    Shrink

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The spoken word lyrics to "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) Mix" used at the end of the movie and during the credits, released by Baz Luhrmann in 1999, were from a June 1, 1997 Chicago Tribune column titled "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" by Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune columnist and long-time writer of the Brenda Starr, Reporter comic strip. The essay began with the admonition to wear sunscreen, and continued with discursive advice to the young for living well and without regret. In her introduction to the column, she described it as the commencement address she would give if she were asked to give one. (The column was widely circulated around the Internet, usually erroneously attributed to Kurt Vonnegut Jr..) The song was a number one hit in several countries (there are several versions: four of the song and two of the video).
    • Goofs
      When Larry attacks Bob he pushes him on a table with food and juice glasses. But when Bob gets up a moment later there are no stains on the back of his white shirt.
    • Quotes

      Larry Mann: There are people in this world, Bob, who look very official while they are doing what they are doing. And do you know why?

      Bob Walker: Why?

      Larry Mann: Because they don't know what they are doing. Because if you know what you are doing, then you don't have to look like you know what you are doing, because it comes naturally.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Battlefield Earth/The Big Kahuna/Hamlet/Michael Jordan to the Max/Center Stage (2000)
    • Soundtracks
      Hey Pachuco!
      Written by Eddie Nichols, James Achor & Mando Dorame

      Performed by Royal Crown Revue

      Published by Zip Gun Music, J. Achor Music & Dorame Music

      Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.

      By arrangement with Warner Special Products

    User reviews163

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    thoughtful drama
    Though essentially little more than a stage bound version of the play, `Hospitality Suite,' the film entitled `The Big Kahuna' earns distinction for its sharply delineated characters and the finely wrought performances of its three main actors. In fact, the stage origins of the film are evident in the fact that the action rarely extends beyond a single set – a hotel suite in Wichita, Kansas in which three salesman are gathered for a convention – and the fact that only four people are even assigned speaking parts (and even the fourth is a mere walk-on bellboy). All the other people we see serve as a kind of silent backdrop before which the three principal players enact their complex personal drama.

    Kevin Spacey, in a truly brilliant performance, plays Larry, a middle-aged, sardonic salesman who sees life strictly from the perspective of a hardcore cynic and who, consequently, runs roughshod over his two business associates with his acerbic wit and hardnosed bluntness. In total contrast is Bob (Peter Facinelli), a 20-something neophyte to the selling business, a sincere, well-intentioned, but hopelessly naïve born-again Christian, who has trouble separating his career as a salesman from his felt need to fulfill the Biblical edict to go out among men and spread the Good News. Caught between the two is Phil (Danny DeVito), a 52-year old man who, after years of devoting his life to the cause of selling, has begun to seriously question the validity of his life's work and has, therefore, recently found himself contemplating such weighty matters as suicide, the existence of God and the meaning of love and friendship. Obviously, such cleanly delineated characters could well have slid over into two-dimensional stereotypes, yet the author, Roger Rueff, in adapting his play to the screen, has built into each of the three principal figures a dimension of multifaceted human complexity. Larry, for instance, despite all of his facile cynicism, shows a far deeper side to his character when, in a quiet moment in which Phil pours his heart out to him, he offers his buddy the hand of genuine compassion and friendship. We discover that the often-bitter tone Larry displays to the world is just a façade, a cover-up for the void that lies deep within his own troubled psyche. Similarly, Rueff avoids the common trap of reducing the devout Christian character to the customary level of a mindless buffoon. Although we sense that Bob too uses his Christianity as a way of ordering his life - thereby avoiding the messy ugliness that a more freethinking life often requires - yet, Rueff merely implies that Bob has some growing up to do, not that his belief system must itself be jettisoned. And Phil, caught between these two worldviews, provides, out of his own confused weakness, the voice of reasoned sanity that helps Larry and Bob come to a final understanding and mutual appreciation of each other. He sees Larry plainly for who he is, yet Phil knows that this is the person who means more to him than anyone else in the world. Similarly, though he somewhat admires and respects Bob's sincere devotion to his Christian principles, Phil knows that Bob has a long way to go before he becomes a true `man of character.'

    `The Big Kahuna' does not provide big laughs, though the sardonic wit often strikes a deep chord in the audience. The film may also seem claustrophobic to those who demand more movement from their movies. The dialogue, however, is consistently sharp and incisive, even though Phil's final speech borders a bit on the pedantic. (At this point, Phil's function as the author's mouthpiece becomes a bit heavy-handed to say the least). Nevertheless, for those in search of a fine character study, driven by strong performances and insightful observations about human nature, `The Big Kahuna' is definitely worth checking out.
    helpful•19
    4
    • Buddy-51
    • Sep 21, 2000

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 19, 2000 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Wichita, Kansas, USA
    • Production companies
      • Franchise Pictures
      • Trigger Street Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 30 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Big Kahuna (1999)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Big Kahuna (1999) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.