Big Trouble

Reviewed by:
Matt Schneiderman

Based on Dave Barry’s fiction debut, Big Trouble tosses a slew of amusing, if one-dimensional, characters (most notably Tim Allen as a columnist-turned–ad agent–turned-hero, Patrick “Puddy” Warburton as a doofus cop, and Johnny Knoxville and Tom Sizemore as inept crooks) together into a scenario involving a rogue nuclear bomb. Director Barry Sonnenfeld (Get Shorty, Men in Black) pieces together what seems like a series of outlandish circumstances into a coherent story line: Pacing is so fluid and quick that there’s little cause for confusion. Some may cringe at the scenes depicting an all-too-easy breach of airline security and the ensuing hijacking—scenes that scuttled the original September 2001 release—but the ridiculousness and implausibility of the plot and characters should assuage any uneasiness. What’s more, Big Trouble reminds us that no matter how fucked up things are, there will still be something to laugh about—like crotch-sniffing dogs

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