The Big Kahuna

Three salesmen wait in a hotel suite. They sell industrial lubricants at a trade convention, and everything rests on the major client said to be dropping by that evening. The whole film happens in that room and consists almost entirely of talk. The gap between the two veteran salesmen and the devout young one widens as it goes, until the subject is no longer selling but what you take another person to be while talking to them. The best passage arrives when the young man admits he spent his time with the client discussing faith instead of the product. The source is Roger Rueff's own play. Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito play the veterans, with Peter Facinelli as the newcomer. Its limit is undisguised. The theatrical structure is fully visible, the location never changes, the camerawork is minimal, and some lines still sound written for a stage. Who it is for: viewers who want dense dialogue and acting. Who it is not for: anyone expecting cinematic storytelling.