Big Trouble (2002)

The lives of several Miami denizens, from ad agents to gunrunners to street thugs to law enforcement to school-children, intersect with humorous and dangerous results.

Director:

Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers:

Dave Barry (novel), Robert Ramsey (screenplay)

Stars:

Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Stanley Tucci

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Allen	...	Eliot Arnold
Rene Russo	...	Anna Herk
Stanley Tucci	...	Arthur Herk
Tom Sizemore	...	Snake Dupree
Johnny Knoxville	...	Eddie Leadbetter
Dennis Farina	...	Henry Desalvo
Jack Kehler	...	Leonard Ferroni
Janeane Garofalo	...	Police Officer Monica Romero
Patrick Warburton	...	Police Officer Walter Kramitz
Ben Foster	...	Matt Arnold
Zooey Deschanel	...	Jenny Herk
Heavy D	...	FBI Agent Pat Greer (as Dwight 'Heavy D' Myers)
Omar Epps	...	FBI Agent Alan Seitz
Jason Lee	...	Puggy
Sofía Vergara	...	Nina

Storyline

A chain of events starts with the arrival of a mysterious suitcase in Miami. Arthur Herk, a corrupt business owner, wants to get his hands on the case. At the same time, two hit men want him whacked. Tired of his constant fixation on drinking and television, Herk's wife Anna and daughter Jenny decide to find new love interests in divorced dad Eliot Arnold and his son Matt. To add more complication, two thieves decide to steal the case and lead a Miami police team and two FBI agents on a wild goose chase that ends inside the Miami airport terminal.

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Plot Keywords:

time bomb | florida noir | toe sucking | man wears a wig | movie flop | 

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Taglines:

They have forty-five minutes to save the world. They need forty-six.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language, crude humor and sex-related, material

Did You Know?

Trivia

DJ Qualls and Zooey Deschanel both starred in The New Guy (2002) the same year.

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Goofs

At the bar, the tossed keys hit Snake on the right side of his face, then fall onto the suitcase, which is on his left.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Puggy: God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the Earth is filled with violence because of them. You are to bring into the Ark two of all living creatures to keep them alive with you."
[eats a Frito]
Puggy: In other words, life is hard, so you'd better find someone who'll be your partner. Eliot Arnold's story is a lot like Noah's, except Eliot's story takes place in Miami.
[eats another]
Puggy: You just can't beat these when they're really fresh. Anyway, Eliot should probably tell ...

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Alternate Versions

DVD includes a condensed 7 minute 49 second-long edition of the film focusing on scenes containing important plot points.

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Connections

Referenced in Creature Featurettes (2002)

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Soundtracks

Hard Workin' Man
Written by Ronnie Dunn
Performed by Brooks & Dunn
Courtesy of Arista Nashville
Under license from BMG Special Products

User Reviews

Shame nobody went to see it

I still remember laughing so hard I was in tears in a theater filled with less than 20 people! A great cast and well written, this movie got the shaft after it was suddenly moved to a 12/2001 release (with almost no publicity)after the events of 9/11 because the movie had scenes depicting lax airport security. We Americans were far to fragile to see someone smuggling an atomic bomb and a gun through poor security! What people missed was a funny story and some of the best one-liners I have ever heard ("maybe you guys should plead Not Guilty by reason of stupidity!). Honestly, I have never been able to drive into an airport without thinking about Arriving and Departing ("We're arriving, but then we are departing?")and Florida Gator fans just get hammered! Great flick, get the DVD and see it for real, not the Comedy Central version.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Big Trouble

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,545,204, 7 April 2002

Gross USA:

$7,267,307

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,493,890

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, The Jacobson Company, Sonnenfeld Josephson Worldwide Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 74 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1