I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Blistering performances.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Emily (Alicia Silverstone) is a bratty little rich girl. She plans her own kidnapping for $1 Million. Only it doesn't go as plan when her car is stolen by Vincent (Benicio Del Toro) with her stuck in the trunk.Emily is hot and a mess. She's a big piece of both. She pines for her daddy's love. He is a quiet nice thief, and just wants to get away from her craziness. But her antics cause him problems and chaos.Alicia Silverstone has made it hard to like the character. If she could dial down the annoying childishness, we could like her and root for the two to get together. It would make for a good edgy rom-com. But this is a clear miss. Benicio Del Toro does the movie no favors by being so meek at the start. They needed some better verbal exchanges. If you're able to take a crazy hot chick, this will be a fine movie for you.

A displeased pampered princess (Alicia Silverstone), whose crooked millionaire father (Jack Thompson) has problems arising with the Securities and Exchange Commission (taps on his phone by the authorities hoping he will give away details to put him in prison), stages a phony kidnapping just to get pops' attention (and hopefully his support; she later even envisions him personally removing her from the trunk with affection on his face and in voice to the media gathering about), but her car is stolen by a master thief (Benicio Del Toro), taken to his garage housing other confiscated vehicles. So it assumed Del Toro is the kidnapper and thanks to a feisty, uncooperative (and misbehaving) Silverstone, he loses control of the situation, the garage (thanks to a lit cigarette from Silverstone, hurled into a barrel with rags inside) sets afire with all the stolen, high-priced luxury vehicles going up in explosive flames as well. Del Toro was paid handsomely for the thefts and those who handed over the cash want it back because their cars went kaboom. If he could just get the money to them (Nicholas Turturro and Michael Bowen), perhaps Del Toro could still escape relatively unscathed, but then Silverstone's uncle enters the picture and complicates matters. That uncle is played (thankfully) by Christopher Walken and he "holds onto" the money in the duffle bag until Del Toro takes him to Silverstone as confirmation that she's okay. Then Turturro and Bowen realize that Silverstone could bring a hefty payday to them, so a real kidnapping will commence (Silverstone wasn't forthcoming to Del Toro, making her father think he had in fact took her hostage and "had her touch his penis"!), with Del Toro and Walken having to join forces to intervene.Personally, as much as I loved Silverstone in Clueless (1995) back in the day, I found her damn near insufferable in Excess Baggage. She reminded me of those spoiled brats needing to use shock methods to get Daddy Warbucks' attention. She is a difficult, pain-in-the-ass for Del Toro who just needs to deposit her some place and be done with her. But you wouldn't have a romantic comedy if it ended thirty minutes into the film with Del Toro and Silverstone parting ways (which, realistically, would have happened fifteen minutes in, but I digress…).Walken, thank goodness, rescues us from a complete failure with his effortless command of the screen as the "fixer" who knows how to get things done for his brother. My favorite scene (well, all of Walken's scenes are worthwhile, but this one specifically made me smile) has Del Toro awakening to discover Walken hovering over him (inside a hideaway cabin of Del Toro's). I have always liked how Walken can project so many attributes like charm, appeal, with a smooth control even when circumstances might result in panic, while, at the same time, there's always that thought he could kill your ass without blinking, without breaking a sweat. I never thought he would in this film, but, just the same, when he looks down at Del Toro, for a moment, he seemed primed to put a bullet in him. It is like a smile could (or could not) hide violent intent. While Silverstone snarls in a diner scene as Walken walks in (with Del Toro hoping he gets the money to take to his car dealer partner, Harry Connick, Jr. ("Gosh.")), sitting at the table, trying to convince her to come home to Alexander, he carries her along with expert ease, the conversation made bearable just because is in it. Del Toro does his actor-studio shtick, using his hands and shrugging a lot, but he'd make up for this rather annoying performance later with great work in the likes of Traffic (2000), The Hunted (2003), 21 Grams (2003), and Savages (2012). He does convey obvious frustration which, considering what his character must tolerate thanks to Silverstone's immature antics, makes perfect sense. Consider this a waste of talent, with a nice rock soundtrack, and a Walken supporting part to treasure. Nothing more or less.

Emily Hope is a mess. She has an unresolved issue with a cold father that has not shown her any warmth throughout her young life. That is why she devises a plan to get even with the old man by staging her own kidnap in exchange for one million dollars ransom. Alexander Hope, the father, decides to go along in paying the ransom. Neither Emily nor Alexander are prepared for what happens next.The supposedly kidnapped girl decided to hide in the trunk of her fancy BMW parked at a car park, where she was to have been found. Vincent, a young criminal, steals the car for a client, not realizing there is a woman in the trunk. Vincent gets much more than what he bargained for, as he gets stuck with Emily, something that never entered in his plans.This 1997 Columbia Pictures release was a vehicle for Alicia Silverstone, the young actress that made a success out of her first big role in "Clueless". She was one of the producers of the film with her newly formed company. Unfortunately, the star cast herself against an actor that stole the picture from under her. It is Benicio Del Toro who is the real star of the film.Perhaps with another team, "Excess Baggage" might have turned out differently, but as directed by Marco Brambilla, it does not go anywhere. Based on a story by Max Adams, the material adaptation for the screen is too predictable and it is a waste Christopher Walken's talent, who has a small part.

Alicia Silverstone is very hot, though the title of this strange looking thing really sucks.When rich chick Alicia fakes her own kidnapping by locking herself in the trunk of her car in order to get attention from her elusive father (Jack Thompson), a car thief (Benicio Del Toro) steals it while followed by two lowly hoodlums and Alicia's anemic uncle (Chris Walken) who wants to bring her back to Daddykins. Alicia is beautiful and Benicio is handsome in this light romantic-comedy, though all the car trunk scenes will make you look at your watch.