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May 9, 2022 · In the four-part docuseries The Big Conn, directors James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte examine the scandal that brought Conn down, where he and a very permissive judge ended up pushing through...
- Lia Beck
- Can You Ever Forgive Me? This movie, which got star Melissa McCarthy an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, is based on the memoir of Lee Israel, a writer who forged letters from famous literary figures.
- Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened. One of two documentaries about Fyre Festival that came out in January 2019, this Netflix film tells the story of what went wrong with the infamous music festival with a ton of behind-the-scenes footage.
- Fyre Fraud. Fyre Fraud is Hulu's Fyre Festival documentary, and it has a broader scope than the Netflix one. (More, what does this all say about us as a culture?)
- The Inventor: Out For Blood In Silicon Valley. The Inventor premiered on HBO on Mar. 18 of this year and is a documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, and her former company, Theranos.
- Travel to a time when Furbys ruled the Earth.
- The Big Con: What you'll like
- The Big Con: What you won't like
- The Big Con: Should you play it?
Reviews
By Miles Dompier
last updated 31 August 2021
(Image: © Windows Central )
Jump to:
•What you'll like
In The Big Con, you'll take control of the spunky teenager, Ali Barlow, as she desperately attempts to save her family's video store from foreclosure after loan sharks come looking to collect. Ali can't help but feel an overwhelming desire to find the necessary means to round up nearly $100,000. On the other hand, Ali's mother is far more concerned about securing her daughter's future as a professional trombonist by using the little funds they have to send Ali to a music camp. The compelling dynamic of teenage desires versus parent's intentions is both heartwarming and relatable.
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As someone who spent countless hours browsing our local video store with my parents to find the perfect film for our weekly movie nights, I couldn't help but feel instantly attached to the mission of keeping this small-town video store alive. On paper, the main story in The Big Con is simple enough and plays out almost like a cliché family film from the early '90s. However, the addition of reflective input from decades past adds layers of symbolism and yearning for another time to this cross-country adventure. I obviously won't spoil the ending or significant plot points here, but The Big Con is ultimately a touching story about the value of friends, family, and chasing your dreams.
In addition to critical mainline characters like Ali, her mom, and Ted, the charming con-man who sucks our hero into this morally questionable crime spree, the various locations in The Big Con are packed with entertaining recurring characters as well. From a struggling comedian testing his latest and anything but greatest material on you to a smoker struggling to quit the habit, these individuals play a critical role in adding meaningful interactions outside of the key story beats. Engaging with these side characters and assisting them with their problems pays off in touching or hilarious ways.
One of my favorite elements of The Big Con was the wildly eccentric art style. With colors and designs ripped straight from '90s staples like Saved by the Bell and Doug, this charming adventure title beautifully balanced nostalgia and creativity. With neon skin tones and distinctive apparel, every character in this world felt unique, regardless of their roles in the overarching story. Every single moment of The Big Con drips with personality and mesmerizing neon colors. If you're looking for a dark and gritty tale of vengeance, this isn't it. But if you want three to five hours of intoxicating eye candy, you're in for a real treat.
It's also worth noting the many small, essential details littered throughout the environments in The Big Con. The infamous blue and yellow banners of the Videoville locations, which are obvious parodies of the former corporate rental king Blockbuster, scream loudly from street corners, and the interiors of these storefronts are filled with promotional materials for films like From Husk Til Dawn, which is a corn-themed knockoff of Quentin Tarantino's legendary vampire flick. There's no shortage of similar nods to other moments or pieces of history from '90s pop culture for players who simply want to stop and soak up the scenery.
While The Big Con is filled with a star-studded cast of voiceover talents like Erika Ishii and Dave Fennoy, this game ultimately takes a minimalistic approach to deliver voiceover lines to the player. At the start of each line of dialogue, these characters say one word to set the tone of their words essentially. Often this is something as simple as "Rad!" or "Aww, man." I don't fundamentally have a problem with this delivery approach, but with so few actual lines of dialogue, often the spoken line didn't correctly match the text on the screen. This didn't negatively impact my enjoyment of the story significantly, but it was an odd inconsistency that became increasingly difficult to ignore.
It's no secret that The Big Con pulls plenty of inspiration from classic point-and-click adventure games from the '90s, but some modern touches help give the game a more engaging gameplay loop. Unfortunately, some of these mechanics get rather stale after a few interactions. In The Big Con, pickpocketing strangers is a great way to earn a quick buck, and this gameplay system incorporates a timing-based mini-game to accomplish. Initially, I thoroughly enjoyed the skill-based implementation of this mechanic, but after a dozen or so thefts, it became quite repetitive.
The Big Con is a short and sweet adventure title filled with vivid characters from a genuinely bizarre period in American pop culture. Mighty Yell did a remarkable job capturing the essence of the '90s without relying entirely on in-jokes or in-your-face references. This approach ultimately makes The Big Con a great trip even for folks who didn't get to experience the wonder of video stores or peak Toys R Us. If you're OK with an experience under five hours, this is an excellent distraction from the crushing reality of the modern day.
While The Big Con certainly isn't jam-packed with content, at $15, there's genuinely a lot to love here. The heartwarming story of a mother and daughter struggling to succeed in a world hellbent on exploiting their good intentions, the vibrant '90s-inspired art style, and locations that feel both fresh and familiar, make this lovely adventure title a fantastic summer indie standout. I cherished almost every minute of my brief detour in this retro world, and if you have any nostalgia for VHS tapes, I think you will too.
The Big Con might not be considered one of the best Xbox games for every player, but fans of adventure titles will certainly enjoy this charming cross-country crime caper.
The Big Con
$15 at Xbox
Bottom line: The Big Con is a charming adventure title filled with heart, comedy, and nostalgia. A great way to experience the '90s without a time machine.
- Victoria Robertson
- Catch Me If You Can (2002) A film starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio should be enough to convince you that you need to watch, but just in case it’s not, here’s a little bit more: the film tells the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr.
- Wall Street (1987) The original, Oliver Stone film starring Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen and Tamara Tunie follows Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a Wall Street stockbroker in New York in the early 1980s.
- Trading Places (1983) The John Landis film starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd is yet another spin on the con man movie, taking it a direction that you don’t see very often.
- The Sting (1973) Starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, The Sting takes place in Chicago, Illinois, September of 1963 in the age of mobsters. Two con men (one with experience and one without) have a mutual friend who has just been killed by a mob boss, and they must team together to avenge his death by pulling off a large-scale con on him.
Three cons (Sweet Kate, The Toledo Kid and Johnny Memphis) get together during a sexual frolic and plan a terrific scam aimed at local banker Francis B. Dobbs. Dobbs is to be seduced into buying a 'house of ill repute.'.
Apr 22, 2022 · Apple TV+ has released the trailer for their newest four-part documentary series, The Big Conn, arriving in May. The series will follow the unbelievable true story of Eric C. Conn, who cost ...
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Eric C. Conn is a lawyer who is living a little too large in eastern Kentucky, until two whistleblowers realize he is at the center of government fraud worth more than half a billion dollars, one...
