The Big Empty (2003)

John Person is an actor with little work, and no money, who suddenly finds himself with an opportunity to make some quick cash by delivering a suitcase to the middle of nowhere.

Director:

Steve Anderson

Writer:

Steve Anderson

Stars:

Jon Favreau, Joey Lauren Adams, Kelsey Grammer

1 nomination.

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 | suitcase | fbi agent | desert | 

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Taglines:

Cowboys. Aliens. Blue suitcases and bowling balls. Strange things are happening out in the middle of nowhere.

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel, where John Person resides for most of the movie, is a real business; or at least was at the time of filming in 2003. In 2009 it was officially closed. As of 2018 it is abandoned, but still standing, with it's original signs. The area still holds the sparse, lonely, western ambiance and cinematography that contributed so much to the film.

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Goofs

Just before Cowboy finally opens the bowling bag, the zipper is halfway up the right side. John was warned not to open the bag and was terrified by the potential consequences; he didn't open the bag at any point and certainly wouldn't have allowed it to remain partially open.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Grace: [answers the door in her robe]
John Person: Hi. Oh, Grace, I'm sorry. I thought I heard you moving around in there. Um, listen, I can't decide.
Grace: Did you hear - about the callback?
John Person: No, not yet. I've got some new head shots.
Grace: What happened to your furniture?
John Person: I had to sell it all.
Grace: Even Your bed?
John Person: Yeah. I'm not gonna need it.

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Connections

References Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

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Soundtracks

All I Know
Written by Frank Lee Drennen & Gregory Page
Performed by Dead Rock West
Courtesy of Permanent Twilight Records

User Reviews

Help, I'm confused

I'm not entirely sure what this film was about. The ending is so ambiguous, that I can't tell whether I liked it or not.

I was digging the film for the first 3/4 of the movie, but somewhere in the third act, it became extremely confusing and all the good will that had built up in the wonderful character performances (Favreau, Cook, Grammer, etc) gets lost in the weird hokey-pokey that occurs. I stop caring for these interesting characters because their story is superceded by some new-age stuff that I couldn't even comprehend.

Also, there are elements of the storyline that either take too long to resolve (who's the cowboy? what's in the bag?) or just are never resolved at all (some of the characters are built up, but then just sort of disappear).

Overall, I enjoyed this film, but the ending was a mess. Maybe I'm just not understanding it, but I think they intentionally made it ambiguous. In which case, I'd say that's its biggest flaw.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site production company

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 2009 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

The Big Empty

Filming Locations:

Baker, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aura Entertainment, Echo Lake Entertainment, North by Northwest Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1