The Big Bounce

This was an Owen Wilson movie from 2004 that I didn't even know existed until I caught it on accident on a hotel tv this summer. There was a bit of a party going on in the room so I couldn't pay attention then, but I figured it was Owen Wilson, therefore comedy, and add some surfing...sold! I rented and watched it again last night.

The heist plot was mediocre, but it was an effective background for the romance, which was enjoyable, as far as romances go. If I had watched any of those 60's teenage beach party movies, it would have reminded me of one of those. (Incidentally, the closest I ever got was a parody of that genre [and other B-list genres], called Psycho Beach Party - great movie.) The romance involves a petty thief and a girl who gets turned on by crime - so they go around beautiful Oahu stealing cars, breaking and entering, and skinny dipping...adrenaline rush to the pounding surf...and no one is sure if they're using crime to get to love or love to get to crime.

That having been said, I will never understand why Hollywood continues to think that we, the audience, have any reason to watch heist movies. For instance, The Score sucked almost as much as Magnolia...and I can't think of other heist movies just now, mostly because I would only watch them on accident.

Finally, the surfing footage brought a tear to my eye.