The Big Hit

Summary of The Big Hit

by Earwolf and Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas

1h 20m•May 8, 2026
Listen to Episode

Overview of The Big Hit

In this How Did This Get Made? episode, Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas dissect the 1998 action-comedy The Big Hit, starring Mark Wahlberg as Melvin Smiley, a “people pleaser” hitman whose double life spirals into kidnapping, mistaken identity, romance, and a lot of absurd 90s violence. The hosts focus on the movie’s strange tonal mix: it wants to be a glossy John Woo-style action film, a farce, and a rom-com at the same time, while also brushing past some very uncomfortable story elements.

What the Hosts Focused On

The movie’s bizarre tone

  • The hosts repeatedly note how casually the film treats:
    • murder
    • kidnapping
    • statutory/age-related discomfort
    • sexual assault
  • Their main criticism is that the movie “rounds off” all the hard edges and expects the audience to laugh along.
  • June, in particular, argues the movie’s light tone makes the sketchy material feel even worse.

A very 90s time capsule

  • The panel spends a lot of time placing the film in the late-1990s cultural moment:
    • TRL / MTV era
    • Face/Off-style action excess
    • Something About Mary-style gross-out comedy
    • VHS/video store culture
  • They describe it as a copy of a copy of a late-90s trend: stylish violence, quippy dialogue, and “edgy” jokes that feel dated now.

Mark Wahlberg’s character

  • Melvin Smiley is portrayed as:
    • highly competent at killing
    • strangely timid in his personal life
    • unable to say no to anyone
    • constantly juggling multiple relationships
  • The hosts keep coming back to the joke that he’s a “people pleaser” in the most absurd possible way.
  • They also discuss the movie’s repeated focus on his sexual frustration and bathroom/dick-management jokes.

Key Plot and Logic Complaints

The kidnapping logic is muddled

  • The hosts are unclear on who actually hired whom and whether the kidnapping was planned, freelance, or a coincidence.
  • They joke that the movie’s criminal underworld seems weirdly small and local, almost like everyone knows everyone.

The action set pieces are ridiculous

  • They laugh at:
    • the opening body-bag disposal
    • the exploding hotel/apartment sequences
    • the breakdancing/shootout choreography
    • the overdone light-and-dark tactical bits
  • Jason and Paul especially enjoy the visual absurdity of the action, even while pointing out it makes little sense.

The video store finale is a highlight

  • All three seem to love the final shootout in the video store.
  • They note how perfectly it captures the era: VHS, late fees, rewinding tapes, and a clerk obsessively tracking overdue rentals.
  • This is one of the few sequences they feel actually lands as a comedy-action set piece.

Performances and Characters

Standouts

  • Lou Diamond Phillips: Seen as the most committed and entertainingly unhinged villain.
  • Bokeem Woodbine and Antonio Sabato Jr.: Both are praised as part of a strong “hunk parade” cast.
  • Avery Brooks: The hosts especially enjoy his intense, almost improvisational energy as the crime boss.
  • Christina Applegate and Elliot Gould: Their presence is appreciated, though the material makes Gould’s scenes especially hard to watch for June.

The female lead

  • China Chow, who plays the kidnapped daughter, is singled out as feeling the most grounded and believable in the movie.
  • The hosts note that she and Wahlberg reportedly dated after filming, which they use to underline that their chemistry was real.

Memorable Bits and Running Jokes

The show’s favorite absurdities

  • The two-door bathroom in a private home
  • The “synchronized watches” gag
  • The trace-calling device / “Trace Buster” tech
  • The overuse of male nudity and locker-room posturing
  • The kosher chicken-cooking scene, which they find both uncomfortable and weirdly erotic

Biggest laugh points

  • Mark Wahlberg doing breakdance-style movement during shootouts
  • The video store clerk’s obsessive phone calls over overdue VHS tapes
  • The ridiculous amount of shirtless, oily, hyper-macho blocking
  • The poster for the store’s “number one customer” in the adult section

Second Opinions from Listeners

The episode includes audience reactions that are mostly nostalgic and very enthusiastic:

  • Some listeners call it a favorite late-90s movie and celebrate the action/comedy energy.
  • Others praise the cast, calling out Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bokeem Woodbine, and Antonio Sabato Jr. as an especially entertaining lineup.
  • The recurring theme in the listener reviews is that the movie is messy, but fun.

Bottom Line

The hosts don’t fully agree on how much they like The Big Hit, but they do agree it’s a fascinating late-90s artifact: stylish, chaotic, overcast with bad-taste jokes, and powered by a cast that takes the material much more seriously than the script deserves. Jason and Paul are more amused by its absurdity; June is more disturbed by its tone and content. All three, however, agree that Lou Diamond Phillips is a highlight and that the video store finale is the movie’s most memorable sequence.