Epäonnen konnat

Jean-Baptiste has seen a lot of movies, has tons of ideas that he puts into good practice and again, after Dead End, proves that he’s certainly got something in him. Simon and David are an excellently matched pair of nice guys and Natascha certainly doesn’t spoil anything for them. At the beginning it seems that the only glitch is the screenplay that seemed to be living up to the title of the movie. But, starting with the scene with the cesspool, the black-humor, hair-brained storyline becomes the main powerhouse. In the end, nothing about Big Nothing is miraculous or even original, but it is first-rate fun. It reminded me of the beautiful experience I had watching Shallow Grave, although they don’t have very much in common really. The sort of movie that you expect big nothing from and then, hey presto, it turns out to be a very pleasant experience. (20.05.2008)

A rather crazy film that could be characterized as a comedy with a crime plot, which uses violence as an entertaining element in the style of Tarantino. It has a sense of influence from the American independent scene and it could perhaps be compared to the film 11:14. A script plaything, where multiple plot lines are intertwined, the characters in the film come up with a series of both transparent and completely opaque dirty tricks, and the whole thing is not stylistically clean. However, the film's entertainment value cannot be denied. The biggest draw is Simon Pegg, but the rest are decent as well. The downside, as I mentioned earlier, is the inability to maintain a clean style, so the film sometimes plays on sentimentality through the character of the main protagonist, and some scenes are unnecessarily bloody for a film that presents itself as a family comedy for the majority of its runtime. Overall impression: 75%. (01.03.2009)

A funny fable made by a Frenchman in a slightly British style with an atypical cast. Half crime-drama, half comedy, with a hearty dose of black humour. Everybody betrays everybody, but in a very unstylish and looser way. It's probably clear to everyone that this act launched Alice Eve's career, but it may not be so incredibly clear that she's already here. A little more than her colleagues, after all. (01.02.2017)

A perfect example that even a blend of comedy and thriller can make a great and entertaining film. The filmmakers went all out and had all the characters swimming in so much sh*t (meant literally) that maybe more could have been wrung out of it in the end, but it's still more than enough. Well, consider this, a simple plan to rob a horny reverend goes spectacularly wrong, the priest turns out to be a purveyor of the most hardcore porn, his wife is a murdering psychopath and so is her secret lover – now we are in for a really crazy and murderous story, and that’s the case. Big Nothing may never make it to the big leagues, its story is perhaps a little too contrived and rather shabby at times, and ultimately it doesn't bring much new to the table, but it's nonetheless a royally funny, reasonably morbid, and beautifully fluid film with an excellent cast. If I wanted to look for flaws, I'm sure I'd find plenty, but this comedy just doesn't deserve it. (16.08.2012)

Jälleen kerran loppu nosti tämän rikoskomedian keskinkertaista arvioita ja pakotti minut jopa harkitsemaan neljää tähteä, mutta se ei olisi reilua muita arvioimiani elokuvia kohtaan. Simon Pegg on näytellyt parempiakin rooleja ja David Schwimmer on minulle ikuisesti Ross Geller... (20.12.2007)

A pitch-black murderous comedy, and the first film in which David Schwimmer plays a positive character without getting on my nerves. My favorite Simon Pegg set the course of the film with two sentences: "I have a plan" and "It's a non-violent enterprise, no harm done whatsoever." What follows is a series of unfortunate and tragic events, which are perfectly underscored by Charlie’s hopelessly innocent look. Thanks to a single wrong decision, he finds himself caught up in the train of events. I like black humor and even the ending was to my liking. I would rate this film four stars, but I give it five for the bonuses: Alice Eve, lollipop murder, Engel and Mimi Rogers with Pink Floyd. (20.12.2016)

So I was wondering how this first collaboration between David Schwimmer and Simon Pegg turned out, and I must say that I am quite disappointed. Not because of how these two, who are excellent comedic actors, did, but because of the screenplay. Jean-Babtiste Andrea (co-writer and director) obviously took inspiration from the Coen brothers and decided to make a film similar to "Fargo". It didn't work, damn it, of course it didn't work, because he simply lacks the gift for the right dialogue, but especially for the story. It's actually a mess that piles up without any order, the director wants to shock us with sudden twists to take our breath away. But the Coens are different in the sense that they build the story on solid foundations, on great characters. "Zero from Zero Goes" pulls out completely senseless variations from its sleeve just to make it interesting. No justification, no real involvement in the plot. What a pity, this could have been so much better. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/bruce-clint-simon-david-zbouchnuta-v.html (17.02.2013)

A more superficial, exhibitionist and, in terms of overall concept, simpler take on Fargo. All the facts that play out in a similarly "serious" vein in similarly-themed genre films are presented here with brutal humor and exaggeration instead. Some scenes are indeed very intense, but at the same time incredibly funny. Fargo is strong in its chilling story and in its parade of utterly insane, eccentric, yet hugely interesting characters. Big Nothing is a very distinctive piece of filmmaking that relies on the darkest possible humor, a simpler storyline, and several quick successive plot twists, rather than deeper sophistication, urgency, and Oscar ambition. But this certainly doesn't detract from the film's brilliance and entertainment value. (11.01.2012)