I heard about this film from a friend who loved it. Being a fan of Pegg and Schwimmer, I myself was enthusiastic. Finally, I got to watch it last night and was blown away by its style, slickness, very dark humour and wit. I'd advise one to watch it later at night, as most of the film takes place in the night and it just has a nocturnal feel to it. Trust me, you won't fall asleep because 'Big Nothing' won't let you. It moves at an extremely fast pace but given the length of the movie (87 minutes) I wish it was a little longer. It starts off by introducing Charlie as an unemployed who finds a boring job at a call centre, where he meets Gus giving one the impression that it's a drama film but once the two are fired, the film really moves at full gear and the slickness builds up more and more. The music contributes to that. Andrea and Asher's writing is solid. Though it is essentially a black comedy one really sympathizes with the characters and at certain points feels both sad for them and laughs at them. As director and writer Jean-Baptiste Andrea clearly knows what he's doing as he leads the film without derailing at any point. David Schwimmer and Simon Pegg as the two moronic losers are spot on. Schwimmer does show some mannerisms of Ross Gellar from 'Friends' but still does a great job. It's a bit funny to hear Pegg speak with an American accent (and it doesn't really appear natural) but that's perhaps because I'm used to his Brit way of speaking. But, on the other hand, his character is a former (?) con-artist, so Gus may not be an American at all. Nonetheless, Pegg's awesome. Pegg and Schwimmer have worked again in 'Run Fatboy Run', a hilarious comedy only here they work as director and actor instead of co-actors. Alice Eve as the young nymphet is very good as is Natasha McElhone (who's accent, at times, sounds forced). Mimi Rogers is there for one scene but it is a very funny scene. 'Big Nothing' deals with strong themes such as 'crime does not pay' or 'money not being the solution to happiness' and ends in a wonderfully ironic way as: Josie the Wyoming Widow (a murderess) comes across the Oregon Undertaker, (former) conman Gus is conned in the end, and Charlie finally receives an offer to have his book published but he already chose an alternative route which leads to a different destiny. His wife tells him that one doesn't need money to be happy and he realizes that she was right but it's too late. This little black comedy is a thrill ride all the way.
Review of Big Nothing
