Yes, it's old (two decades in fact). Yes, it didn't do so well in theaters. And yes, it's become a cult film.
It was on Fox Movie Channel this weekend (in widescreen, thanks Fox) while my folks were visiting. About 5 minutes in, they were still intensely interested, though it was late at night. We didn't watch the whole thing, but what shocked me is that THEY COULD HAVE. My wife as well.
I thought about the film, having seen it countless times myself, and I realized a) the film was about a decade ahead of it's time and b) it's probably one of the most consistently entertaining films ever made. Within the first twenty minutes, we had screwball comedy, friendly banter, trucking, a gunsight, a martial arts gang fight, and magic. TWENTY MINUTES in.
I simply wanted to see what other members think about this film. I know it's a cult favorite, and I expect many here are fans of it...but why? What does your S.O. think? Or your kids? Have you shown it to them?
Why is Big Trouble in Little China (one of the 5 best movie titles ever) so much better than 99% of what passes for adventure these days
"We really shook the pillars of heaven, didn't we, Wang?"