This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***For people who don't get it, here are some possible interpretations –The cowboy is rounding up lost souls. That's what John Person (Jon Favreau) is at the start of the film and that's what Ruthie (Rachel Leigh Cook) is at the end. In fact, Ruthie is even more lost than John which is why she goes and he doesn't.The suitcase has size 11 shoes, obviously not meant for Ruthie but for John. At the film's end when John is bowling we see his size 11 bowling shoes, confirming that the suitcase was meant for him.The suitcase is what all lost souls carry. It's what the dozen lost souls at the end carry.Neely (Bud Cort) works for the aliens and he does the research on who is lost and who isn't. That's why he has a dossier on John.Dan (Brent Briscoe) warns John that the aliens take people's sperm through their neck. Near the end of the film John has a bandage on his neck, and in his final appearance we see that the FBI agent (Kelsey Grammar) also has the bandage.The point of the film is that life is short and worth living and you shouldn't waste it. Ruthie tells this to John and John tells it to Ruthie.Through the experience John finds meaning in life through his relationship to Grace (Joey Lauren Adams), and once he does this, his life takes a turn. He's now got a job as a second lead and he can throw strikes.You may or may not like the film, but it's not that hard to understand the symbolism.

Non-working Hollywood actor Jon Favreau (as John Person) is nearly $28,000 in debt. With no jobs on the horizon, Mr. Favreau accepts an ultra-weird offer from neighborly Bud Cort (as Neely), who wears a neck-brace. Pay attention; that another neighbor, Joey Lauren Adams (as Grace), first appears with a Band-Aid on her neck is a clue. Watch your necks. Favreau's mission is to deliver a locked, blue suitcase to a man called "Cowboy" (Sean Bean) in Baker, California. Reluctantly accepting the offer, Favreau meets all sorts of strange people in the transient town. They all eventually lead Favreau to an even stranger ending...Written and directed by Steve Anderson, "The Big Empty" seems to be a cross between David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" TV series and the "Heaven's Gate" cult of the 1990s. It's better than the former because Mr. Anderson's quirks lead to an ending, of sorts. Lynch's "log lady" never made as much sense; let's hope she found the right fireplace. The Heaven's Gate crowd, remember, committed mass suicide to board a spaceship they thought was somehow attached to the Hale–Bopp comet, which passed by Earth in 1997. Like the folks in this film, they prospective travelers wore brand new sneakers. Their bodies "lifted off" in groups of 15, also...While there are nods and winks to these and other stories, "The Big Empty" is an original work. Anderson appears to be a director to watch. The style and color photography, by Chris Manley, is stronger than the plot. The dozen characters are also more appealing than the story, with sexy Rachael Leigh Cook (as Ruthie) most impressive as a conquest out of Favreau's weight class and age group. Having infectious fun are jealous bf Adam Beach (as Randy), quirky hotel clerk Jon Gries (as L. Ron) and Brent Briscoe (as DAN). And, anyone who thinks they've had enough of Daryl Hannah (as Stella) should take another look at her...The ending song, "Honkytonk Maniac from Mars" by Jason Ringenberg, is very cool.****** The Big Empty (5/16/03) Steve Anderson ~ Jon Favreau, Rachael Leigh Cook, Sean Bean, Daryl Hannah

A soggy mash-up of genres, with Jon Favreau playing a comically (or, perhaps satirically) narcissistic unemployed actor in Los Angeles who accepts a courier job from his eccentric neighbor; his assignment is to deliver a blue suitcase to a man named Cowboy out in the remote town of Baker, CA...but when he gets there, the connection has already left. Most unemployed actors in Favreau's situation would turn around and head home, but he instead checks into the local motel and gets involved with several of the desert denizens. Writer-director Steve Anderson doesn't seem very intrigued by the familiar material, nor is he particularly anxious to put a different spin on it. It's "U-Turn" or "After Hours" accented with a Lynchian non-sensibility. Once the protagonist gets locked into this bizarre town, Anderson offers him nothing but off-putting company and outlandish avenues. Favreau (easy-going in a bowling shirt) ogles the sexy cowgirls--and his own reflection--without giving us a genuine character. This type of indifferent cockiness can get awfully monotonous, despite Favreau's overall polite nature. He's a handsome lug with an open face, yet he projects no other personality except as the proverbial guy-on-the-make. *1/2 from ****

Basically I got the impression that this movie wasn't fully realized. Not by anyone. Not the director who was also the writer, not by the producers, not by anyone. No seemed to know where this movie was going. Which is a real shame because it could have been great. But as I watched the movie I couldn't help thinking that where the writer/director wanted to go seemed to changed every time he sat down to write and by the end of writing the movie, he had worked himself into a corner.I do have to say that the best part of the entire movie is the mysterious Cowboy (played by the handsome, talented, and underrated Sean Bean) and his best scene in the movie is when he makes his first appearance.Honestly Bean was the only real reason why I remained interest in the movie because parts of the movie dragged, or just felt like it was trying too hard to be something it wasn't. Jon Favreau is good, Kelsey Grammar is wasted as I felt his character really didn't add anything to the story, and Daryl Hannah is good but again, feels wasted. I would say watch it for Sean Bean, but he really isn't in the movie enough, which is a real shame.