Big Kahuna (1999)

"...memorable.  Shlomo Schwartzberg, BoxOffice Magazine
"Spacey sells us a performance that is an American beauty.  Details Magazine

Editor's Note First-time feature director John Swanbeck teams up with producer-actor Kevin Spacey for this big screen adaptation of Roger Rueff's play HOSPITALITY SUITE. The story concerns three lubricant salesmen who have gathered in a Witchita, Kansas hotel room in order to throw a cocktail party for prospective buyers. They are Larry (Spacey), a harsh, cocky veteran; his partner Phil (Danny DeVito), a passive recovering alcoholic; and Bob (Peter Facinelli), a naïve new colleague whose ethics drive Larry into fits of disbelief. The trio waits for the night's arrivals--most specifically, "The Big Kahuna," a man so wealthy that he has the ability to single-handedly revive Larry and Phil's struggling careers. After the party, Larry and Phil are dumbfounded when they discover that Bob actually spoke to him, only their conversation consisted solely of religious dialogue. Larry sends Bob in search of "The Big Kahuna" with the order that he discuss business if he wants to remain employed. The subsequent hours provide each individual with the chance to exorcise his inner demons once and for all. Limited in its usage of locations, Rueff's big-screen adaptation of his play contains inspired performances from Spacey, DeVito, and Facinelli.

	Danny DeVito
	Kevin Spacey
	Paul Dawson
	Peter Facinelli
	Roger Rueff - Based On Play By
	John Swanbeck - Director
	Anastas N. Michos - Director of Photography
	Christopher Young - Musical Score
	Kevin Spacey, et al. - Producer
	Roger Rueff - Screenplay

Based on the play HOSPITALITY SUITE, this comedy revolves around three industrial lubricant salesmen who have traveled to Wichita, Kansas, for the Midwest Manufacturer's Annual Convention. Larry (Spacey), Phil (DeVito), and Bob (Facinelli) wait in their company's hospitality suite for a potentially lucrative client to appear. As the night unfolds, their conversation takes a turn for the serious, revealing to each man an insight that he will hold close to him forever. Variety
"...A well acted, engaging drama that's sprinkled with dark humor and sharp observations..." p.40

Premiere
"...[The film is a] chamber piece for high velocity acting....Stuff that you want to root for..." 04/??/2000 p.31

Box Office
"...There's something fresh here....Unexpectedly touching..." 12/01/1999 p.53

Los Angeles Times
"...DeVito has moments of mesmerizing calm....Spacey is as savagely dyspeptic as he was in AMERICAN BEAUTY..." 04/28/2000 p.F23

Chicago Sun-Times
"...Sharp-edged, perfectly timed, funny and thoughtful. Spacey and DeVito are two of the smartest actors in the movies, filled with the joy of performance..." 05/12/2000 p.34

Sight and Sound
"Spacey surfs the hot air of the dialogue with grace." 12/01/2004 p.36-7

San Francisco Chronicle 7 of 10
What a charge it is to see the way these three actors get loose and play off each other. Roger Rueff's single-set play-turned-film segues from comedy to drama... Spacey...is the big draw...but co-stars Danny DeVito and Peter Facinelli are the revelations. - Bob Graham

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
...Spacey and DeVito are two of the smartest actors in the movies, filled with the joy of performance, and they exchange their dialogue with the precision of racquetball players, every volley redefining the game. - Roger Ebert