Go Big (2004 TV Movie) User Reviews

Would you buy a used big business from this man? or this woman?

[wombat_1 · 15 March 2004]

Advertised as a "feel good" movie (whatever that is), I found this to be quite an enjoyable, amusing, engrossing and totally unbelievable (not that that matters) story. Having said that, I'm sure that I've purchased more than one product that was created, or at least promoted, in the way that this movie portrayed :-)

Alex Dimitriades was debonair as ever - Australia's answer to Pierce Brosnan. Tom Long showed an equal panache.

Wasn't sure about Justine Clark. She put her heart and soul into her role, but to me she was trying to be a bit too much Bridget Jones. Kimberley Joseph wasn't given too much to do (I'm not trying to make a cheap shot here, but after all she was given the role of the supermodel who had become a trophy fiance!), but it looked like she has risen above being a soapie star.

It's always good when there are recognizeable "real life" personalities in these movies, and they were quite a few of them. I find that this blend of fiction and I suppose "reality" is the word (as distinct from "reality TV shows"!) goes over very well.

One specific plot criticism. I do think that the way Gina was portrayed as handling her father's 60th birthday could have been done with a little more.... sensitivity.

This is the sort of comedy movie that Hollywood churns out in its sleep with its eyes closed, and often it shows. But this Oz-made movie is as least as good as any of them. It was funny, it held my attention, I could talk about it afterwards. I think it achieved everything it set out to do.

Woeful (minor spoilers)

[benuti · 1/10 · 14 March 2004]

This is one of those movies that seems like it has been produced from an untreated theatrical script. Every part of it was unrealistic, cliched and overwrought. The one-word description of this film would be 'hackneyed'.

In one scene, Gina enters a corporate bar, and can't get served. She 'unveils' the shallowness of the corporate set by buying an expensive suit, and (predictably) earning their respect. In another, the 'lovable scoundrels' trick a group of wealthy investment bankers into investing millions of dollars in their new venture, without telling them what their company does. Besides being unrealistic and unoriginal, these scenes seem like the enactment of some bored screenwriter's 'what if I had a million dollars' daydream.

In another scene, tension develops when Gina makes a romantic choice between her two available and interested colleagues. A love triangle with 2 men, where the woman decides... how unpredictable.

If you feel like you have seen a million films where someone cheats their way to get what they want, only to face problems with their unearned success, then it's probably because you have. I'm thinking 'Shallow Grave', which at least was disturbing and believable, 'Romy and Michele's Highschool Reunion', where this theme was enriched with themes of low self-esteem, 'The Associate' and 'The Nutty Professor', both of which at least had interesting makeup, and the telemovie 'The Companion', which was frankly awful. Yet this film has none of the merits of any of these other productions.

It should be HIGHLY INSTRUCTIVE that in the top 100 grossing films of all time, there are only ONE film which makes significant use of this theme - 'Catch me if you can', which was based on a true story. (It clocks in around the 90s). NOBODY IS VERY INTERESTED IN THIS THEME.

Tom Long's character was kind of stilted and odd, but it is probably the most compelling performance of the group. The acting wasn't bad on the whole, but each of these actors should have been savvy enough to reject this terrible screenplay.

There are many great actors, directors, DPs and post firms in australia. Sure, there's not a lot of money for film here. But there are also great low-budget art films from many places around the world. I can't understand for the life of me why good australian films are so rare. It must be the writing! Why don't we try importing some screenplays - god knows there are enough unused ones out there.

At times cliche, but exciting.

[geoffyisbonza · 14 March 2004]

'GoBig' is a surprise, straight to television feature length film about the dot com boom of the mid 1990s. The old favourite rags-to-riches-then-bust story with a twist.

Three penniless, brazen and perhaps slightly criminal 20-somethings invent a business on the basis of nothing, calling itself 'GoBig', a company that 'does whatever we want'. In order to get money into their company, they infiltrate the life of rich heir Hamish Fitz-Herbert (played by Alex Dimitriades) by stealing his mail and snubbing him at a gallery opening, and then attending his high school reunion.

After substantially outbidding him in a charity auction his interest is sufficiently stirred, and he requests a meeting with the CEOs of GoBig. Their flamboyant pitch of not very much inspires him to the dismay of his advisors, to invest one hundred million dollars in the corporation, and the buzz the company stirs up as they float on the stockmarket makes them all multi-millionaires overnight.

The production overall is very slick and the acting tight. The characters are well developed, and the casting is excellent. It is slightly marred, however, by some rather cliche treatments of money, selfishness and love.

All the same, 'GoBig' is an exciting and flamboyant piece that is intelligent, enjoyable and easy to watch. Recommended.