The Last Big Thing (1996) User Reviews

From what I remember.......

[jeff667 · 5/10 · 24 October 2006]

I stumbled back on this movie when I was writing a negative review on Netflix of the movie You Can Count On Me, ragging about how ham-fisted Mark Ruffalo's acting was in that feature. I then remembered the first movie I saw him in, which was this one, and I wandered by to get some more info.

From what I remember, this is a somewhat entertaining film of one man's fight against mediocrity. It's just as instructive to see how his own pretentiousness is his downfall as is understanding his commentary on popular culture. One of those films that doesn't come together, but its energy and desire to tell the story are so strong that you must respect the intent and the effort, which makes it worth watching repeatedly.

Best movie you've never seen

[fixyrhash · 10/10 · 31 January 2001]

The film revolves around a man who believes that all forms of media are obsolete. The idea behind his art project is to unmask the ridiculous culture that we are bathed in. Naturally, the film takes place in Los Angeles/Orange County. He attacks stand up comics (caw, caw, caw), rock bands, models, blockbuster Hollywood films, and touches on many other mediums. Eventually, he finds himself in the sights of the weapon he has set into motion. The film is five years old and rings more true every day. It's the best description of post-punk anger I've ever seen. It's also one of my top 10 favorite films.

Ultra no budget commentary on the dumbing of America

[Ikky · 16 March 1999]

Zukovic's first (maybe "last") feature. Reportedly shot in the VERY low six figures. This rant against 90's postmodernism and America's self referential popculture tailspin contains some sardonicly hilarious moments wedged between selfconscious "Byronic Poses".

If you like all the Big Budget Lost In Space sitcom rehashes that pass for "A" movies this is not for you. If you are disgusted with the turn Hollywood has taken since the 70's it is worth a buck rental for sure.

Short on the human side and reaching for that epic gesture (a difficult thing to do even when you have a budget) Big Thing is flawed, but laying prostrate in the right direction.

Silly tripe!

[=G= · 3/10 · 31 March 2001]

Not to be confused with the Madonna film "The Next Best Thing", "The Last Big Thing" is a silly, campy, off-the-wall comedy about a man who yearns to start a magazine called "The Next Big Thing" which reviews a variety of up and coming artists. This low budget indie makes "Chuck and Buck" look like a masterpiece. Fraught with lousy acting, poor sets and costuming, etc., "...Thing" has earned some awful reviews and to date has only been nominated for one fringe award. Pass on this one.

A cinematic jolt to the system

[wacourr71 · 9/10 · 30 August 2007]

Saw this a couple times on the Sundance Channel several years ago and received a nice cinematic jolt to the system. A semi-surreal yet hard edged take on modern media culture (or the lack of it), focusing on some seriously wacked, way-beyond-the-Hollywood-fringe dwellers. It had an amusing early performance from Mark Ruffalo, and some memorable cinematography from the DP who did the Polish Brothers movies. There was a savage umcompromising humor and a weirdly original feel to it that definitely set it apart. This film had cult classic written all over it, and I'm surprised it's not yet out on DVD.

Hopefully soon.

Lame

[jp1713 · 1/10 · 27 June 2008]

what ends up killing this movie is its self-consciousness, among other things. here's a short list: 1. irreverent behavior. when the beatles came over and injected their brand of "quirky, irreverent" behavior/humor, it was greeted as fresh. that was over 4 decades ago. get over it.

2. false sophistication. spewing out base, quasi-socio-political-isms is hard ground to make work comically. ask woody allen.

3. the post-modern "i'm hard on this phony world and yes, i recognize it in myself" snake eating itself - used as illustration with another animal in the film itself! - is such a retread.

4. smarmy, smug drollness.

5. amateurish writing, acting, direction... ever seen student films? a victim of itself, about the only thing i can say positive is that it at least has a sense of itself, and sheesh, now i'm getting caught up in the self-reflexive thing that it posits as worthwhile, of value.

but towards... what? ultimately, it just rings as hollow as any other pretentious piece - hey, ever see woody allen's take on bergman, ie: "Interiors"??? well, this just does it more amateurishly.

The Greatest Film Ever Made....

[bcool57 · 10/10 · 3 January 2005]

This film is as good as it is difficult to find. The film's hero (and writer and director) is Simon Geist- a man "with an agenda." He creates a fake magazine just to have the authority to interview the swine of Los Angeles- the actors, the models, the musicians- who believe that their own defecation doesn't smell. With clever dialog, Zucovic succeeds in doing this. Sure, the budget for this film was probably what he paid for a used car, but this film is so solid and so well written that it works very well. Any person who can reenact Edward Munk's 'The Scream' in the reflection of a silver trashbin at a local coffee house should be nominated for some type of award. Give this film a chance and listen to what it says... because they HAVE been making the same car since 1986... it's called 'the car.' Bravo, Zucovic, bravo!

This was a weird, but totally interesting movie

[stevemal1 · 18 September 2000]

I liked this movie a lot. It made a lot of interesting statements about society in general that really appealed to me. I also liked its reflection of two Non-Conforists living in an extremely conformist environment. This movie was good, and different in a new, interesting way.

Sardonic, acrimonious, witty and silly.

[creed-5 · 9/10 · 18 November 1998]

This movie is an amusing and utterly sarcastic view of pop culture and the producers thereof. I was impressed with the photography that consisted of vivid colors and spin doctored settings, especially when you think that this is Zukovic's first large scale attempt.

One warning, do not take the movie's message that seriously. It is not for mass consumption ( and that is not a compliment). The message is a somewhat stylized post-college, neophyte view of society.

I did enjoy the basic plot line of a fictitious 'zine editor verbally whipping the mobocracy of the 90's.

A smart masterpiece that needs wide home-video distribution

[kichigaisatori · 10/10 · 17 December 2005]

I was lucky enough to have seen this on a whim during a film festival and was smacked so hard with what I saw I returned the next night for its second of three screenings. A funny, savage and sharp-toothed attack on every aspect of mainstream entertainment passively swallowed without tasting by the lowest-common-denominator target audience waged by a lone-avenger journalist who slowly takes in members for his guerilla-war on predictability is what the movie's all about, and is executed in such an unpredictable and refreshing way that you're left after the credits roll with hope renewed, and excited that original films can still be made. Anyone frustrated with unfulfilled expectations for something to light up their imaginations would do well to hunt (and I do mean hunt) this scarcely-seen item down. For fans of Fight Club and any Charlie Kaufman film, and required viewing for anyone who avoids multiplexes like a rabid dog.

Great film

[silver462 · 9/10 · 19 September 2000]

"The Last Big Thing" is a wonderful satirical film that sardonically whips pop culture to the point of humorous self-desctruction. The characters are so interesting and fun to laugh at/sympathize with. Which brings me to an introduction to the characters I liked best...

Simon Geist is a man in his late 30s/early 40s who creates a pop-culture driven editorial magazine called "The Next Big Thing". Thing is, this magazine doesnt really exist, and it is only an excuse for Simon to get close to actors by interviewing them, only to bitch-slap them silly, insulting their way of buying into pop culture. His live-in female friend, Darla, is also writing a magazine (which is real), which mainly has to do with her and Simon, as well as her and her father. Darla is a genuinely loveable (or loathable) character, depending on how you view her muted neurotic behavior. Magda is a prostitute, the character i liked the best. Brent is a flat character with not much to him, as is Tedra, the music-video queen for a bunch of B-rated rock bands. Still, these characters weave a very interesting web together. And this movie questions all the motivations that people have for what they do and why they do it. Its a wonderful film and I suggest you see it if you're in the indie/art house crowd. Mark my words!

Bizarre and funny!

[trra · 3 January 2004]

I liked this film a lot. I keep looking for it to appear on dvd. If you're a fan of strange indie productions like Niagara Niagara, Bottle Rocket, Interstate 60, Cherish and the like, this should work for you. Sure it's extremely low-budget, but the acting is fine. The egotistical main character reminds me of many people I met in LA over the years. I laughed hard and long. I turned around after viewing and recommended it to my teenage kids. They were equally impressed and have watched over and over again with friends. If you can catch this on Sundance or Independent Film Channel, don't miss out.

Under-appreciated Indie Classic

[harrowvic · 9/10 · 9 May 2010]

I've long been a fan of Dan Zukovic's dark comedy from the 90's, having seen it a couple times on the Movie Channel. Now I see it will be coming out on DVD this summer, which is a cause for celebration amongst true indie film fans. This film could probably best be described as a scathing cultural satire, with some excellent performances (including a hilarious turn as a "hunk" actor by Mark Ruffalo), and memorable photography and images. (Edvard Munch's "The Scream" reflected in a metal garbage can). An under-appreciated indie classic, I highly recommend it to viewers wanting an original, bizarre, bitingly funny film experience.

A Weird Acidic Cult Film

[santhurnroger · 8/10 · 23 June 2011]

A weird acidic cult film outta the mid-90's, Dan Zukovic's "THE LAST BIG THING" is definitely the kind of indie film they aren't making anymore. Genuinely subversive and anti-mainstream, the film is a thorough bludgeoning of LA Pop Culture, a few years before the reality TV deluge hit in the 2000's (also coming several years before "Fight Club", and some of the other defining 90's indies). There is a nice turn by a youngish looking Mark Ruffalo, and some nice slightly surreal LA and outskirts cinematography by M. David Mullen, who went on to do "Northfork".

Saw this originally on the Movie Channel, and again recently on Amazon Instant Video Streaming. "THE LAST BIG THING" bears a repeat viewing well - a memorable low budget find with a punk rock edge to it.

Excellent

[avictorhart · 10/10 · 30 November 2019]

A lot has been said about this movie already so I'll just put in my two cents. Absolutely amazing, over the top and unique in all aspects. I have become a major fan of Dan Zucovic since watching this film. There is really nothing else like it that I have ever seen. The choice of actors, the scenery, the theme, all just a wonderful fit.

The Punk Rock Apocalypse!

[mit-rr · 10 August 2007]

I caught this film in the mid 90's at a screening in New York and later on Showtime. Angry and hilarious, it's an unrelenting--and prescient--blast at where this culture was headed...straight into the celeb/fame/money vortex. A fringe anarcho-intellectual named Simon Geist creates an underground magazine called "The Next Big Thing" (which may or may not exist), which lures a bunch of LA fame wannabes into his weird, punishing "Agenda". This film had an intelligent confrontational energy that reminded me of 70's punk--translated into film. As the New York Press described it in a review/interview at the time: The Punk Rock Apocalypse!

Bizarre and unique!!

[digitalbookworm5678 · 9/10 · 28 March 2013]

Type in counter culture as a keyword here at IMDb and you'll get lots of documentaries and a few good movies. (By rating this comes up # 61) But nothing comes up when you type in anti culture or anti pop culture. That's where this movie belongs. There's nothing out there to compare this to.

Simon Geist hates everything Pop. It's all evil. He goes about proving this by degrading rock bands, actors, comics and models in a imaginary magazine titled The Next Big Thing. People want to be The Next Big Thing so he does his best to make sure they aren't. Adored and revered by his platonic girlfriend Darla. She hopes she's the only one to understand him. And she is, until Tedra the model comes along and spoils everything.

This indie film stands alone, like Simon Geist. Surrounded by the banal, mundane, cliché world of big budget box office success. Writer/Director/Actor Dan Zukovic created a bizarre and unique character and took it to the limit. Great soundtrack too.

Tripe but not trite

[jerkystick · 12 June 2004]

I came across this movie on cable on night. It's interesting but not completely.

Working with little money, the director takes what would be nothing more than home movie sets and creates a Faulkner like stream of consciousness that swirls around a shallow, uncreative world.

The dryness of Simon Geist is comical. He is the 'know it all' jerk that criticizes modern art but offers no alternative. And at the end you find that he is what he hates.

The response to this movie has been pretty brutal. If Ingmar Bergman had made this, I would have expected better. But I say kudos to Dan Zukovic. It's far from being a great movie, but I have considered watching it again.