Big Nothing film review

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BIG NOTHING

Big Nothing is the second film of the year that tries to resurrect the magic formula that made Fargo such a success. Unfortunately, the other film, the slight and dippy The Big White, made a better job of it. The fact is that neither film is likely to be remembered for long, and sadly Big Nothing is the more aptly-titled of the two.

Fans of Simon Pegg will undoubtedly be drawn to the film thinking it must play on his Spaced/Shaun of the Dead persona, but here Pegg has had no creative control and in the hands of director/writer Jean Baptiste Andrea's paper-thin and increasingly unbelievable script, Pegg is left floundering with one of the least convincing American accents recently committed to celluloid.

Pegg plays a call centre worker called Gus who dreams up a scam to swindle the very people he is cold-calling and persuades colleague Charles (Schwimmer) to come along for the ride. Charlie is jobbing at the call centre while supposedly finishing his Phd at the behest of his cop wife Penelope (McElhone).

It's meant to be clever, shocking and hilarious, but is clumsy, predictable and desperately unfunny, which for a purported comedy is the kiss of death. After an initial titter or two, the audience I saw it with was left largely in silence. One of the year's weakest cinematic offerings.

Paul Hurley