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.

Rich, unloved teenage girl stages her own kidnapping, but her plan gets foiled when a carjacker takes her for a ride. Anemic comedy-drama with cynical romantic undermining looks fairly stylish and is well-paced, but the screenplay is filled with plot-holes and annoying characters, and the film's last act loses all inspiration. In the lead, Alicia Silverstone--just off her star-making turn in "Clueless"--isn't bad, but she needed a stronger director to reel in her bratty-comic excesses. Surprisingly, the film failed to find an audience with its target group and did a fast fade. Silverstone deserved better. ** from ****

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.