The Big Kahuna

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The Big Kahuna

R

2000

1h 30m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

77 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Three salesmen for a foundering industrial lubricant manufacturer hang out in their company's hospitality suite at a major convention, waiting for the arrival of a prospective customer they've privately dubbed "The Big Kahuna," whose potential sales would turn the struggling company around. Phil (Danny DeVito) plays peacemaker between the cynical, argumentative huckster, Larry (Kevin Spacey), and Bob (Peter Facinelli), the company's newest hire, whose religious sanctimony irritates Larry.

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Critics Consensus

Wonderful adaptation of the stage play.

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Will Self

London Evening Standard

12/26/2017

It doesn't matter how much he pirouettes, paces, prowls and postures, there's something just a tad too effete about Spacey's performance to make Larry as dangerous a presence as he needs to be.

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Ernest Hardy

Film.com

01/01/2000

It's smart, funny and insightful and it's quite easy to see what attracted the stars to it.

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Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

01/01/2000

Despite my reservations about Spacey's performance, the film is generally very well acted.

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David Thorpe

Out Magazine

05/27/2022

[Facinelli's] perfect performance boldly proves that a handsome young man is a symbol of real hope, even to straight guys.

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Joe Leydon

The Moving Picture Show

08/06/2014

Sometimes profanely funny, sometimes intensely dramatic, The Big Kahuna is a richly amusing and provocatively insightful film that builds to a profoundly powerful cumulative impact.

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Jim Lane

Sacramento News & Review

08/07/2008

3/5

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Godfrey D

@RT74548902 08/11/2024

Its a really good movie.

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Bulgantamir B

@RT36664197 08/10/2024

The director is a good person with experience

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Бавуу Э

@RT26109709 08/10/2024

Three salesmen for a foundering industrial lubricant manufacturer hang out in their company's hospitality suite at a major convention, waiting for the arrival of a prospective customer they've privately dubbed "The Big Kahuna," whose potential sales would turn the struggling company around. Phil (Danny DeVito) plays peacemaker between the cynical, argumentative huckster, Larry (Kevin Spacey), and Bob (Peter Facinelli), the company's newest hire, whose religious sanctimony irritates Larry.

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09/14/2021

Great movie with an amazing performance from Kevin spacey - I miss him . Movie had strong glengary glenross vibes 4.5/5

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03/04/2020

A great film with a noticeably above average performance from Kevin Spacey. Hopefully he’ll get back to his acting days soon because no matter what you think of him personally, he will always be one of the best actors of this century

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04/03/2018

Slow paced and thoughtful, it has the marks of a stage play turned into a movie, which it is. The three main characters are drawn well and everyone else is landscape. A decent movie.

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John Swanbeck

Director

Kevin Spacey

Larry Mann

Danny DeVito

Phil Cooper

Peter Facinelli

Bob Walker

Paul Dawson

Bellboy

George F. Miller

Hotel patron

The Big Kahuna: Official Clip - In Search of the Grand Kahuna

2:28

The Big Kahuna: Official Clip - Big Shots

3:03

The Big Kahuna: Official Clip - Bigger Than God

3:00

The Big Kahuna: Official Clip - An Honest Man

3:22

The Big Kahuna: Official Clip - Dreams of God

3:05

The Big Kahuna: Official Clip - We Talked About Christ

3:43

The Big Kahuna: Official Clip - Why God Created Wives

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The Big Kahuna: Official Clip - B.S. Detector

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Synopsis

Three salesmen for a foundering industrial lubricant manufacturer hang out in their company's hospitality suite at a major convention, waiting for the arrival of a prospective customer they've privately dubbed "The Big Kahuna," whose potential sales would turn the struggling company around. Phil (Danny DeVito) plays peacemaker between the cynical, argumentative huckster, Larry (Kevin Spacey), and Bob (Peter Facinelli), the company's newest hire, whose religious sanctimony irritates Larry.

Director: John Swanbeck
Producer: Elie Samaha, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Stevens
Screenwriter: Roger Rueff, Roger Rueff
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Franchise Pictures, Trigger Street Productions
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 28, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.2M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, DTS, SDDS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)