The Big Bounce (PG-13)

Missing: this movie’s plot.

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Common Sense rates it
2
Seen the movie? Review it
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Movie details
  • Studio: Warner Bros., Warner Bros.
  • Directed By: George Armitage
  • Cast: Morgan Freeman, Owen Wilson
  • Running Time: 98 minutes
  • Release Date: 01/30/2004
  • Video/DVD Release Date: 07/20/2004
  • Genre: Comedy
  • MPAA Rating: PG-13
  • MPAA Explanation: sexual content and nudity, violence and language

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie is pretty intense for a PG-13, with strong language, sexual references and situations (including making fun of a gay character), drinking, smoking, violence, and general bad behavior by just about everyone.

Families can talk about whether anyone in this movie trusted anyone else, and if so, how. What will happen to Jack, Nancy, and Crewes after the movie ends?

Message

Social Behavior:

Strong African-American character. A gay character is made fun of.

Consumerism:

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Drinking, smoking, character abuses alcohol, drug references.

Violence

Comic violence, characters badly hurt and killed.

Sex

Sexual references and situations, partial nudity.

Language

Strong language.

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Nell Minow

In THE BIG BOUNCE, sticky-fingered surf bum Jack Ryan (Owen Wilson) loses his job for bashing the boss with a baseball bat. He gets a new job as a sort of handyman for some bungalows owned by Judge Crewes (Morgan Freeman). He meets a beautiful woman named Nancy (Sara Foster) who has a weakness for men who have a weakness, and the next thing you know everyone is trying to double-cross everyone else over $250,000 in cash. It's supposed to be used to pay some goons to beat up the people who are protesting a development owned by a mean guy who is Nancy’s boyfriend. But Nancy wants Jack to steal it. "All you have to do," she purrs, "is walk in poor and walk out rich."

Is it any good?

2
The Big Bounce wants to be comic caper movie, but the real crime is inflicted on the Elmore Leonard book credited with inspiring it. You can tell that somewhere in there there's a book with colorful characters and a couple of lines of dialogue that crackle. There is some evidence that there was an actual plot of some kind. At some point. But not now.

Wilson, who always looks like a surf bum in whatever part he is playing, finally gets to play a surf bum and is surprisingly uninteresting in the part. Foster has some spirit and Freeman's bemused spin makes his lines feel fresh and he adds a little class. But the movie feels recut by people who weren't sure what tone they were trying for, and the result is just bland.

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Parents and kids say

All Reviews

There are 2 reviews.

1


Posted on 10/02/06 by MovieFreak101 Kid contributor, age 12

A bad flim with no point.......

The only reason I seen the worthless flim was because of Gary Sinise. Was on for 5 seconds....so that ended my fun. I also a fan Morgan Freemon, but even he couldn't save it. Poor.
Age 13+
3


Posted on 02/11/04 by mellifluous Adult contributor

A Decent Film - At Best

The only reason I really went to see this movie was because of Owen Wilson. He's good in the movie, but not in top form a la Shanghai Noon, The Royal Tenenbaums, or Bottle Rocket. <p>Overall it's a pretty mediocre and harmless movie. The most objectionable part, from my perspective, was that the female lead (who's only real job in the movie is to be good-looking) is far too skinny to be sensibly considered beautiful. She's the type of woman that encourages anorexia in girls and that men need to be retrained to think is unheathily skinny rather than attractive.

Adult Reviews

There are 1 reviews.

Age 13+
3


Posted on 02/11/04 by mellifluous Adult contributor

A Decent Film - At Best

The only reason I really went to see this movie was because of Owen Wilson. He's good in the movie, but not in top form a la Shanghai Noon, The Royal Tenenbaums, or Bottle Rocket. <p>Overall it's a pretty mediocre and harmless movie. The most objectionable part, from my perspective, was that the female lead (who's only real job in the movie is to be good-looking) is far too skinny to be sensibly considered beautiful. She's the type of woman that encourages anorexia in girls and that men need to be retrained to think is unheathily skinny rather than attractive.

Kids Reviews

There are 1 reviews.

1


Posted on 10/02/06 by MovieFreak101 Kid contributor, age 12

A bad flim with no point.......

The only reason I seen the worthless flim was because of Gary Sinise. Was on for 5 seconds....so that ended my fun. I also a fan Morgan Freemon, but even he couldn't save it. Poor.
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