leplatypus
I expected to watch a movie about a winter holidays vacations and it turns up it's rather a black comedy in which a husband, Robin, tries to scam his insurance officer, Ribisi, to help his disturbed wife, Holly. Honestly, it will not be remembered as a classic for each of them and the movie is sometimes sluggish and dull ! For a funniest cumbersome corpse movie, you should take a look at the old french one « Joe » that shares a lot of situations. But this one has fantastic outdoors, up in this Northen Alaska town really covered by snow, and for one time, not destroyed by the common color grading ! Robin is good as this little crook with a heart as well as Holly who proves one more time her dynamic and crazy side ! Ribisi, whom i watched recently in "the gift" confirms he is a young talent much more convincing than the ones you always heard of (ex : Rockwell). The psychic girl was charming and i was sure to have seen her before : it's only now that i catch that she stars in Tim Burton's « Bigfish » indeed !
Steven Torrey
Robin Williams and Holly Hunter made a great suspense flick. Who and why dunnit never takes second place to the implied corruption--murdering someone for the insurance is, I think, against the law. The premise is outrageous, they never really disclose why the brother (?) was killed in the first place. Why did Paul Barnell (Robin Williams) open that dumpster? Luck? Did he know or suspect there might be a body? Somehow, as I watched the film, I was under the impression that the body was one of Barnell's brother. Barnell's other brother, Raymond Barnell (Woody Harrelson) almost gets himself shot by Paul Barnell in what can only be called hilarious shtick. In the end, Paul doesn't kill his brother Raymond, but as the film unfolds, the viewer soon learns why Paul wanted so desperately to kill Raymond.In the end, everybody gets what's coming, and they can share the loot. For a dark comedy, it was funny; well acted by everybody. (But then these guys get paid for being good actors.) It is an underrated movie and a dismissed or even lost classic out of the tradition of the Coen Brothers. The movie was directed by Mark Myloid.
Syl
Robin Williams is an Alaskan travel agent, Paul Barnell, who is trying to bank on his brother's life insurance policy but he's not dead just away. When he stumbles upon a dead body, he uses the corpse to bank upon his brother's insurance policy only his brother Raymond (played by Woody Harrelson shows up) and his wife played by Holly Hunter gets kidnapped by the men who are looking for the corpse. Giovanni Ribisi plays the insurance agent who is unwilling to break his suspicions about Barnell's claim and refuses to pay it. As the film begins, he catches an insurance fraud on tape. His live in girlfriend plays a phone psychic in small town Alaska. Granted, Alaska is known for it's cold harsh winters. I visited Skagway, Alaska a year after they filmed this movie. Skagway is a popular cruise day spot for most of the major cruise ships in the Inside Passage. Too bad, the snow didn't do it justice. Skagway is also one of the gold miner's town. Still, the film is more a reminder of Fargo.
metadoc
The girlfriend-boyfriend interaction is jessica and hector in essence and style, right out of tom zuber's earlier, more sardonic, earthier, more true-to-life, and simpler LANSDOWN. This includes the "first you go, then i go" dialogue request of the girlfriend. Also lifted from LANSDOWN are several high-up direct downward camera angles, coupled with direct upward reverse angles, that are perfectly zuberesque in style. Finally, The Big White duplicates in toto tom zuber's now classic shot of the men looking down at the body in the trunk to assure it's the right body! I'd go back and watch Lansdown for sure! The thing about Lansdown is that it was done on a shoestring budget. But the dark witty humor is so subtle you chuckle all the way through. This is something I did not do on The Big White. What I love about movies is that viewers can always tell the real deal when they see it and hear it. Even though this movie has a relatively rich budget with high production values, LANSDOWN goes right to your senses as being the original whole enchilada despite its earthier look. It's a much more sincere, darker and meaningful, and funnier flick!
AD
