THE BIG BOUNCE

Elmore Leonard novels have made for entertaining film adaptations in the past, including GET SHORTY and OUT OF SIGHT. The formula falters with THE BIG BOUNCE, however. Starring Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman, and Sara Foster, the movie follows a handful of greedy characters who have settled in Hawaii, hoping they can go undetected while they steal and scheme in the laidback tropical setting. The plot advances only on breaking into houses, stealing cars, and looking for sex partners. It is totally bereft of redemptive or moral aspects.

Owen Wilson plays Jack Ryan, a freewheeling criminal who is trying to leave crime, until he attacks his boss and is fired. Sara Foster is Nancy Hayes, the beautiful young woman who lures Jack Ryan into planning another small-time robbery. Their bond is forged during a series of petty crimes, and it never deepens or becomes less trivial than that background would suggest. He is attracted to her (there is a fair amount of sexual innuendo), and she wants to use him to steal money. That is as deep as the movie gets. Everything they do is for sex or money.

Regrettably, THE BIG BOUNCE does not even work well as a caper movie. The twists are unclear and unsurprising. The characters are not sharply drawn, so the audience does not care about them or if they’re able to steal the money. Also, more time is spent developing the quasi-romantic relationship between Jack and Nancy than building a suspenseful plot. The elements that made the other Elmore Leonard adaptations successful are absent: the snappy dialogue is dumbed down, the actors are not terribly charismatic, and the story is loose and plodding.

The movie’s only saving grace is Owen Wilson. His off-handed charm and humor distract the audience from the inanity of the rest of the movie. He is not enough to make THE BIG BOUNCE worth watching, though. The language, offensive instance of blasphemy, and complete amorality make this one something to avoid.