The Big Bang

Originally seen on PBS's acclaimed P.O.V. series, director James Toback's (Exposed, Fingers, The Pick-Up Artist) first documentary is an engaging sortie into the enduring questions about "sex, life and the cosmos." In a hilarious opening, clips with the various interviewees are intercut with a running conversation between Toback and producer Joseph Kanter, in which the former is trying to get the latter to put up money for a film with no story, no actors, and no screenplay. Toback explains to Kanter that he wants to explore the notion that "the universe began with the orgasmic explosion of God," a concept that, among other of concerns to Kanter, seems a little thin on potential box office receipts. 19 interviewees ranging from the famous to the not-so-famous offer their commentary on everything from the origins of the universe to the importance of family. Former gangster Tony Sirico describes his overpowering infatuation with a woman that nearly drove him to madness; producer Don Simpson (Top Gun) relives his stifling religious upbringing; an Auschwitz survivor relates the horror of discovering what the smoke which issued from the chimneys at the camp really meant; basketball star Darryl Hawkins describes his totally self-serving approach to life; and a mother describes the loss of her child. Since the interviews are with real people, the movie veers on a regular basis from the ridiculous to the sublime, and the food for thought ranges from the McStandard Opinion to the insightful. Sometimes thought-provoking, sometimes irritating, often funny The Big Bang offers up a chewy slice of the noble and ignoble qualities of our species. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)