psychcowboy A lot of films try to develop a relationship between characters that viewers can hope for, believe in, and have sympathy for. Take Sleepless in Seattle for example. Excess Baggage worked for me better on that level than even Sleepless; the heat and romantic tension between Silverstone and Del Toro creep up on you much more subtly than Sleepless, and to a stronger point. The scene by the lake where Silverstone says 'do you like my belly' was such understated power and so far from cliché it really hooked me. Likewise the main soundtrack song All Mixed Up is great. Then there is Christopher Walken; he keeps his sinister capabilities remarkably under wraps until you surmise that he throws a thug out a window, without actually seeing it.

AJ_AlS I usually agree with general reviews of a movie, but I am honestly confused as to why this film has such a low rating. Romantic comedies are not even the type of films I like watching, but despite all that I really enjoyed watching Excess Baggage. The relationship between the main characters developed nicely in my opinion. I didn't find it cheesy or overly cliché either. It was hilarious, especially scenes with Benicio Del Toro, which is mostly due to the way his character behaves. Benicio's character was very unlike any other male love interest that I had ever seen, in a good way. Over all, this isn't a film to take too seriously. It is fun to watch, with weird but funny scenes. I'd even watch it again. The low rating should definitely be ignored.

Uriah43 "Emily" (played by Alicia Silverstone) is the rich, spoiled daughter of a corrupt millionaire named "Alexander" (Jack Thompson). She feels unloved and in this particular case, she is, as her father devotes more time and concern to his shady business than he does to her. So, in order to feel wanted, she devises her own kidnap scheme and after tying herself up gets into the trunk of a car. Unfortunately for her (and everyone else in this case), a car thief named "Vincent" (Benicio Del Toro) decides to steal the car not realizing she is in the trunk. Upon hearing a noise he opens it and that's when things really begin to go wrong for him. Now, while this may not be a side-splitting comedy, it does have some pretty funny moments. Benicio Del Toro is excellent as the dim-witted thief who has to contend with a spoiled brat and finds out all too soon that she is more than he can handle. And while Alicia Silverstone may have been nominated for a "Razzie" for her performance, I didn't think she was that bad at all. Yes, there were a couple of weak spots here and there. But overall, I thought her acting was just fine for the part. Likewise, Christopher Walken performed in his usual high-level manner as "Ray", the bodyguard of Alexander, who probably understands Emily more than anyone. All things considered, I thought that this was a delightful movie deserving higher marks than some critics have given.

UncleCrust Okay, so it's kind of a stock movie story with stock characters but what really makes it a view-more-than-once flick are the characters, especially Benicio Del Torro who puts in another stellar performance. Del Torro's character, Vincent, was the only non-stock character in the film and I'm convinced that Del Torro made Vincent all that he was -- no matter how good the writing & directing. I never get tired of Christopher Walken and his Christopher-Walkenisms so I found him bonus in the flick. And who is this superb gangster Nicholas Turturro (Stick)? Again, a so totally stereotypical character, but Turturro's seamless, peerless delivery made me perk up in anticipation of how he would deliver his next line every time he showed up in a scene.Something else I loved about this film were the "tight" images. I think the quality of the air in coastal Washington(?) gave the film a solid, high resolution look. But things like the car storage facilities not being your ordinary chop shop garages contributed to that "tight" imaging. Even having the cars covered in plastic was a "tight" consideration. As much as I'm not a big Alicia Silverstone fan, her face extrapolated this tightness.A serious detriment to the movie was the terrible weakness & implausibility of everything to do with the police -- their acting, their entire investigation activities, the chase scene, their placid acceptance of "Uncle Ray" at the final abduction site. So strike that stuff from your memory and focus on Del Torro's acting. Thankfully, the cops don't impinge much on the story.Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable film that I will *definitely* watch again.