As it turns out, "The Big Bounce" is a pretty fitting movie title, as it seems to imply that there will be a plummet of sorts. And there is . . . the falling expectations of anyone who thinks the film will be anything beyond mediocre.
Unfortunately, there's no real bounce back from that tumble, as nearly all of this caper comedy's efforts fall flat. That might be slightly excusable if the film wasn't so lazy and aimless. It attempts to coast along on the laid-back charm of its star, the usually dependable Owen Wilson. But he can only carry this flimsy material so far.
Wilson plays Jack Ryan, a petty crook who finds himself on Oahu's beautiful North Shore, where he's just been fired from a construction job after getting into a fight with the foreman. As he's mulling over his relatively few options, he meets Walter Crewes (Morgan Freeman), a sympathetic district judge who gives Jack a handyman job at his somewhat rundown resort.
Walter also gives Jack a valuable piece of advice: to stay away from Nancy Hayes (Sara Foster), the beautiful but troubled mistress of his shady former boss, Ray Ritchie (Gary Sinise). As it turns out, Nancy tries to involve him in a scheme to rip off her "sugar daddy."
Predictably, nothing here is what it seems. Everyone has an ulterior motive for wanting to help Jack. And screenwriter Sebastian Gutierrez muddles the characterizations and situations so that even the resolution is confusing. The film is also so badly paced that it seems much longer than its relatively brief running time.
Wilson is likable, but what few sharp one-liners he gets off seem like improvisations. Worse, he's paired with the performance-challenged Foster, a comedic albatross who drags him down. And even the very capable supporting cast — including Freeman and Sinise — seem to be going through the motions.
"The Big Bounce" is rated PG-13 for violence, occasional use of strong profanity (including one usage of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), flashes of female nudity, use of crude gestures and vulgar sexual talk, brief gore, brief sexual contact and brief drug content (references). Running time: 88 minutes.
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