Lonely spoiled daughter wants rich daddies attention and in order to get that she fakes a kidnapping. This is what already happens in the first 5 minutes of the movie. After this already bizarre beginning the story unfolds in even more hilarious and unforeseen ways. I love this script!Is it straight comedy? No. But it sure is hilarious at times. Is it a tough heist movie? No.But everything and everybody gets kidnapped and stolen. Is it a romantic comedy? No. But there is some blossoming romance. It is hard to label Excess Baggage, but one thing is for sure it is one of my favorite screenplays. The writer Max Adams is now teaching how to write screenplays to students, but I wish we had been fortunate to see more of her writing gems turned into movies. The acting in Excess Baggage is superdelicious. Everyone is topnotch. But how much words shall I use to describe the brilliantly cool and scary Christopher Walken. His performance alone makes this movie worth watching. But added to that there is the droopy looking Benicio del Toro:Mr cool number 2. This man has got a charisma that lifts up any movie he plays in. Magnificent in "slow" acting. I love that man. All in all Excess Baggage is one lovely piece of superbly written hilarious script, brilliantly performed. Enjoyable from beginning to end. Just great fun!

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.

Excess Baggage (1997): Dir: Marco Brambilla / Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Benicio Del Toro, Christopher Walken, Harry Connick Jr., Jack Thompson: Title indicates unwanted companionship, which can describe Alicia Silverstone's performance and the sympathy that should be given to her co-stars. She plays a rich brat who stages her own kidnapping in order to gain her father's affection. She locks herself in the trunk of a car but a car thief steals it. Clichés set in as he cannot get rid of her then after a warehouse full of cars burns down they have to stick together and fall in love, etc. Recycled plot done twice this particular year with A Life Less Ordinary being the other film. Directed by Marco Brambilla who made the equally stupid Demolition Man. He does his best but this project should have been put out of its misery before production began. Silverstone whines so much that she becomes irritating. Benico Del Toro does his best as the car thief but the role is reduced to a romantic prop with all the personality of a flat tire. Christopher Walken is a fine presence in the film as her uncle but the role is straight forward and totally beneath him. Harry Connick Jr. is given the cardboard role of Del Toro's partner in crime. Jack Thompson plays Silverstone's less than active father whose life is work. Title indicates that video outlets obtain too many movies and this one should go. Score: 2 / 10

Okay, so people might think I'm crazy for voting this 10 out of 10. The usual response and comment everywhere I look seems to be a negative one. But I was sitting here the other night, we just moved into a new house. I love the new environment, and I was ready for the new year. I was up late, as always, and this movie came on TBS. I had just watched Clueless with Alicia in, and I thought if I could stay awake long enough, I would watch this. I love Walken and Silverstone, but had never seen Toro in much. So I started watching it. I thought at first it was funny, hilarious, and enthralling. The way the girl tied herself up and put herself in the trunk, and was extorting her dad for money. I first thought she really wanted the money. Then I figured out it didn't matter, she wanted attention. It was a cry for help. Then I see sexy del Toro steal the car and freak out when he opened the trunk and saw her in there. The scene where Uncle Ray (Walken) saw she framed her fire news article...was hilarious and brilliant. And the scene at Knotty Pines where she said "you don't have to be drunk to kiss me"...and he said "I'm not drunk"...absolutely brilliant. Not too much love scene, then the scene the next morning by the lake was touching. I loved it whenever he's talking to her dad, and he says, "Are you telling me I've only known this girl two days and already I care more about her than you do?" Wonderful. And the scene at the end of the movie...I TOTALLY knew he was in the trunk. And they're sitting there in the trunk and he says "what a view"..she says "What makes it a view?" he says "You" and then Dave Matthews starts playing "Crash Into Me"...perfect song, then he goes to kiss her and he does that "come on, come on, come on, come on, come on" thing...and they close the trunk. Perfect ending. Okay, so I loved the movie. I think that's clear. But if any person watched this and hated it, they need to go back and watch it again without thinking too hard about it. You won't hate it then!