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Review: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son

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A pendantic thriller

By TOM MEEK | May 2, 2007

2.0 Stars

VIDEO: Watch the trailer for Next.

Frank Cadillac declares himself “the real deal masquerading as an act.” He’s really Cris Johnson, Cadillac being his Vegas stage name when he performs magic and predicts the near future — which he actually can do, though just a few minutes in advance. Lee Tamahori’s film is loosely based on the Philip K. Dick story “The Golden Man,” and if you know your Dick, you know screen adaptations of his work are all over the map — just compare Blade Runner with slack crap like Paycheck. Next is more like the latter, with Nicolas Cage as Cadillac, a fetchingly framed Jessica Biel as the love interest, and Julianne Moore as the hardened FBI agent trying to get Cadillac to help locate a nuclear bomb planted in LA by terrorists. The bomb’s just dressing for the three actors to generate some heat, which they do; lacking prescience themselves, however, Tamahori and the phalanx of writers implode Dick’s intriguing premise into a pedantic thriller.

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The Philip K. Dick phenomenon might be petering out.
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With Snakes on a Plane and World Trade Center opening on the same day, this summer won’t be offering the usual escapist fare.
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For a guy sometimes compared to Philip K. Dick, Alex Irvine took his time in getting around to writing about the future.
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Topics: Reviews , Federal Bureau of Investigation, Julianne Moore, Philip K. Dick, More

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