Finally, I’m laughing with a movie instead of laughing at it. “Big Trouble”(Touchstone, PG-13) is the perfect B-movie with an A-level cast.

The film moves along at blinding speeds and wraps up in a short-but-sweet 82 minutes. This is a key factor of the film’s success. Many other crimadies, as I like to call them, suffer greatly from a long running time that can test an audience’s patience.

The plot of this picture is tough to describe. It follows the path of a dirty bomb (a nuclear bomb the size of a suitcase) and the bumbling crooks who are trying to get their hands on it.

The greatest thing about this movie is the snappy, witty dialogue that keeps it upbeat. As it cuts from character to character, the constant barrage of sidesplitting jokes keeps the audience focused and interested. Many films with large casts frustrate audiences by failing to keep their attention. “Big Trouble” masters these problems through the originality of its characters and its rapid-fire dialogue.

Another one of the reasons “Big Trouble” soars is its outgoing characters. They all just float through life on dumb luck. Any sign of intelligence often is blamed on the Discovery Channel. That’s not to say that these characters are stupid, they’re just more prone to look to television for knowledge than an encyclopedia. The film offers a great satire of American culture – accomplishing it through its characters.

There’s the main character, Eliot Arnold (Tim Allen), who’s trying to prove to his son that he’s more than a Geo-driving loser.

There’s a hit man (Dennis Farina) who gives us such memorable comments as, “If I don’t shoot somebody soon I’m gonna forget how.”

The most memorable character is Arthur Herk (Stanley Tucci). As soon as Arthur appears, he’s labeled as “one of the few in Florida who wasn’t confused when he voted for Pat Buchanan.” His rambling ignorance, foot fetishes and obsessions with Martha Stewart give the film some of its funniest moments.

There is some controversy surrounding “Big Trouble” in light of the Sept. 11attacks. In the film, two idiot robbers are allowed to bring the dirty bomb aboard a plane after they tell security that the bomb is no more than a portable garbage disposal. This may be disturbing for some, but it is important to see the actions as a satire on the lack of real security in our airports at the time.

Perhaps understanding this will allow people to laugh at the scenes rather than cringe. After all, what better medicine is there than laughter?

“Big Trouble” is based on a book by Dave Barry, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Miami Herald. His humorous pokes at life’s little foibles are woven throughout the movie’s dialogue.

Any college student will laugh at Barry’s jokes about Florida Gators fans. Their overwhelmingly annoying enthusiasm for Florida football couldn’t help but remind one of the Orange Crush – the University of Illinois’ “Superfan” group. It’s the little moments like this that make this film so worthwhile.

Only Barry could create this look at Miami as “Weirdsville, USA,” where stray goats and psychedelic toads run rampant throughout the streets and airport runways. Hopefully we’ll see more creative, original stories from Barry on the screen in the years to come.