“In his feature debut, Anderson combines a wacky sense of humor with an affectionate light touch. “The Big Empty” has a seductive easiness, a laid-back yet ever-so-slightly portentous score and a wonderful sense of place. One funny twist and turn after another!”
In “The Big Empty,” struggling actor John Person agrees to drive a blue suitcase from Los Angeles to the small town of Baker, Calif., and hand it over to a mysterious cowboy in return for having his credit card debt of $27,000 paid off. Upon his arrival, John can't find the cowboy but receives an ominously head-shaped package he's supposed to hang onto. While waiting, John gets close to Ruthie, whose psychotic boyfriend, Randy keeps threatening to kill him.
JON FAVREAU as John Person
“The most original story of the year. A wonderfully bizarre movie which features a David Lynch-like plot and some dark humor that will have you laughing and scratching your head at the same time. ”
RACHAEL LEIGH COOK as Ruthie
“The story and style pitch it some where between the Coens and Lynch. A cool slice of quirky fun which seems to have been overlooked, but well worth searching out.”
DARYL HANNAH as Stella
KELSEY GRAMMAR as Agent Banks
“Steve Anderson has crafted an impressive, well-photographed debut.
The pacing and storytelling is clear and compelling.”
SEAN BEAN as Cowboy
“This is a fun movie, with lots of offbeat, almost deranged, humor featuring a winning “everyday Joe” performance from Favreau. The Big Empty manages to bring a kind of daffy warmth to a story which at its core is about people living lives of quiet desperation, and the opportunities they might be willing to take, if given the chance.
A spectacular rendering of the desert, day and night, in mystical pinks, purples and blues, as if it were more than a “big empty” place full of sand and rocks, but actually a place of unearthly beauty and mystery, its own logical geometry, and a compelling dream of tranquility and otherness. The film has a strong core of genuine human warmth beneath its lunatic surrealism. It represents a remarkable screen debut for director Steve Anderson.”
“Insightful, unpretentious and often whimsical, “The Big Empty” is filled with a charm and presence to which all indies should aspire. Thanks to the steady skill and restrained wisdom of its veteran cast, and the rich and lustrous sense of atmosphere of its first-time director, it stands out as one of the years best films.
The success of the movie as both metaphor and entertainment - for it is filled with genuine smirks of enjoyment that make it stand head and shoulders above the normal crowd of indies. Director Steve Anderson will be a big time director some time in the future and this first feature may be a cult fave in his library.”
