BIG NOTHING

UK, 2006, 86 minutes, Colour.
David Schwimmer, Simon Pegg, Alice Eve, Natasha Mc Elhone, Mimi Rogers, Jon Polito, Julian Glover.
Directed by Jean- Baptiste Andrea.

This is just a bit of fun, a short running time, not very demanding, some laughs – but more disbelief as everything (and more) goes wrong with what seemed to be a simple plan (they rarely are), blackmail and a quick collection of the money. But…

David Schwimmer is Charlie Wood, a PhD factoid and statistic utterer who is out of work and is employed (for about one call) at a Call Centre. The genial man at the next desk is Gus (Simon Pegg) who has a sob story about his going-blind daughter – and the need for ready money for an operation. So, the simple plan: blackmail a reverend who has been visiting illegal porn sites and pick up the money. A forceful young woman, formerly Miss Teen Oklahoma (Alice Eve) insists on joining the scam. What could be more simple?

When the potential victim pulls a gun on Gus, they are all on the first step to chaos. Except for Charlie and his wife (who is a local detective, Natascha Mc Elhone), nobody is really who they claim, so there are twists enough to keep us slightly surprised and macabrely amused. Mimi Rogers turns up briefly and gets an axe in her head – it’s the kind of film where she actually turns up again and dies again, so to speak. Jon Polito is an overweight diabetic FBI agent. And there are a couple of other intended and accidental deaths.

So, a black comedy that is passable and lightweight entertainment.