Big Trouble (1986)
Big Trouble (1986), directed by John Cassavetes, starring Alan Arkin and Beverly D'Angelo.
score
In the next 48 hours, the people below will find themselves in a big scheme, to get big money, that will land them in Big Trouble.
Synopsis
Leonard Hoffman is an insurance salesman struggling to make ends meet. The fact that he has triplet sons who all want to go to Yale isn't making things any easier. Blanche Rickey is also worried about money; her husband is a millionaire with a weak heart, and she worries that he'll blow through all his cash before he finally dies. When Blanche meets Leonard, she devises a murderous plan that she claims will fix both their problems.
- Wilmer ButlerCinematography
- John CassavetesDirector
- Donn CambernEditing
- Ralph E. WintersEditing
About the film
Big Trouble is a 1986 American comedy film and the last film directed by John Cassavetes. The cast reunites Peter Falk and Alan Arkin, co-stars of The In-Laws, and also features Beverly D'Angelo, Charles Durning and Valerie Curtin.
The film's plot was so similar to that of Double Indemnity that, prior to production, Columbia Pictures requested Universal Pictures (rightsholder for the Paramount film Double Indemnity) to grant permission to reuse the plot of the earlier film. Universal executive Frank Price, who had previously worked at Columbia, was aware that Columbia was holding on to a script called Back to the Future and made a deal which enabled Universal to take over the ownership of that script.
Read the full article (3k characters)
Big Trouble is a 1986 American comedy film and the last film directed by John Cassavetes. The cast reunites Peter Falk and Alan Arkin, co-stars of The In-Laws, and also features Beverly D'Angelo, Charles Durning and Valerie Curtin.
The film's plot was so similar to that of Double Indemnity that, prior to production, Columbia Pictures requested Universal Pictures (rightsholder for the Paramount film Double Indemnity) to grant permission to reuse the plot of the earlier film. Universal executive Frank Price, who had previously worked at Columbia, was aware that Columbia was holding on to a script called Back to the Future and made a deal which enabled Universal to take over the ownership of that script.
Plot
Leonard Hoffman is a Los Angeles insurance agent with a problem on his hands. He has teenage triplets who are all gifted musicians but wife Arlene insists that the kids attend college at Yale, requiring more than $40,000 in tuition, which would be a good deal more than the nearby UCLA.
This situation is on Leonard's mind when he pays a business call to the Beverly Hills mansion of Steve and Blanche Rickey. He is met by a flirtatious and scantily clad Blanche, who explains a problem of her own: Steve is dying, with less than a week to live, but has inadvertently allowed his life insurance policy to lapse.
A scheme is hatched involving a policy with a double-indemnity clause, but for this to work, Steve will need to die in an unexpected fashion; will he or won't he co-operate?
Cast
Reception
Andrew Bergman wrote the original screenplay and was slated to direct before Cassavetes was hired. Cassavetes disliked the film and called it "the aptly titled Big Trouble,'" as the studio vetoed many of his decisions and he disagreed with the manner in which the studio edited the film. Bergman said: "That was a mess. I never fixed the ending, and that was the problem. You’ve got to have it when you get it on the floor. You can’t say, 'Later, we’ll get it straight.' It’s true in every medium. You’ve got to hit the ground running, and we didn’t. I never had the ending straight.". As a result, Bergman requested to be billed as Warren Bogle on the finished film.
The film had polarizing response; on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a "Rotten" rating of 14% based on 7 reviews. On the other hand, on Metacritic, the film has a rating of 70 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
References
External links
Big Trouble at IMDb
Text from Big Trouble (1986 film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Trouble_(1986_film)
Trivia
- It premiered on May 30, 1986, a Friday.
- It runs 1h33 — a typical feature length.
- As of September 20, 2026, it is on no subscription service in Brazil — only to rent or buy on Amazon Video.
- This film's quiz has 12 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosTri-Star-Delphi III Productions, Columbia Pictures
- CountriesUnited States
- LanguagesEnglish
- StatusReleased
More about this film
Filming locations
- Arizona
Where to watch
Cast
-
Alan Arkin
Leonard Hoffman -
Beverly D'Angelo
Blanche Rickey -
Peter Falk
Steve Rickey -
Charles Durning
O'Mara -
Robert Stack
Winslow -
Paul Dooley
George Noozel -
Valerie Curtin
Arlene Hoffman -
Richard Libertini
Dr. Lopez -
Steve Alterman
Peter Hoffman - Jerry Pavlon Michael Hoffman
-
Paul La Greca
Joshua Hoffman -
John Finnegan
Det. Murphy -
Karl Lukas
Police captain -
Maryedith Burrell
Gail - Edith Fields Doris
-
Rosemarie Stack
Mrs. Winslow -
Barbara Tarbuck
Helen -
Al White
Mr. Williams -
Teddy Wilson
Porter -
Gloria Gifford
Wanda
Quiz about this movie
Questions from the whole catalogue.
Play nowIf you liked this one
-
Adivinhe Quem Vem Para Roubar
6.6
-
Que Mulher é Essa?
5.9
-
68 Kill
5.9
-
Reféns do Crime
5.9
-
Sala de Matança
5.9
-
O Carma de Um Assassino
6.3
-
A Última Missão
6.4
-
Conselhos De Um Serial Killer Aposentado
6.9
-
Cidade Fantasma
5.9
-
O Grande Golpe
5.9
-
De Médico e Louco Todo Mundo Tem Um Pouco Comedy from the 1980s
6.1
-
Dose Dupla
6.5
Crew
- Wilmer Butler Cinematography
- John Cassavetes Director
- Donn Cambern Editing
- Ralph E. Winters Editing
- Mike Lobell Producer
- Bill Conti Original music
- Andrew Bergman Writer
Questions about this film
What is Big Trouble about?
Big Trouble: Leonard Hoffman is an insurance salesman struggling to make ends meet. The fact that he has triplet sons who all want to go to Yale isn't making things any easier. Blanche Rickey is also worried about money; her husband is a millionaire with a weak heart, and she worries that he'll blow through all his cash before he …
Who directed Big Trouble?
Big Trouble was directed by John Cassavetes in 1986.
Who stars in Big Trouble?
The cast of Big Trouble includes Alan Arkin, Beverly D'Angelo, Peter Falk, Charles Durning and Robert Stack.
How long is Big Trouble?
Big Trouble runs for 93 minutes, or 1h33.
Where can I watch Big Trouble?
Big Trouble is available on Amazon Video. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.
Similar films
8.5
8.0
7.3
7.6
7.8
7.8
7.0
6.9
7.8
6.9
8.0
7.1
Page updated on 09/10/2026.
Back to the catalogue
