The Big White (2010)

The Big White is a bizarre and quirky thriller featuring a great cast and some fabulous location work. I'm surprised the movie never got a theatrical release it so richly deserved. The movie is fun all the way, although some viewers may find all the dark, murderous and often blood-soaked antics a bit over-the-top.

Robin Williams stars as Paul Barnell, an Alaskan travel agent who's nearing bankruptcy. Paul also has to contend with his wife Margaret, (Holly Hunter) who's suffering from a psychosomatic form of Tourette's syndrome. One night Paul stumbles upon an abandoned corpse in a dumpster he decides to pass it off as the dead body of his missing brother Raymond (Woody Harrelson), so he can collect the insurance money.

However, Paul hasn't reckoned on the attentions of ruthless insurance claims' investigator, Ted (Giovanni Ribisi) who is determined to eke out the truth about Paul's brother. Paul also has to contend with the two bumbling killers (Tim Blake Nelson and W. Earl Brown) show up and threaten to harm Margaret if they don't get their corpse back.

The Big White gets right to the nasty action early on when Paul tries to fit the corpse into a refrigerator. Soon the violence spreads to living victims, with beatings coming at one point or another too much of the cast.

Alison Lohman does a nice turn as a Ted's girlfriend but the most interesting character is Margaret, who bewilders an intruder with a barrage of unexpected projectiles and spews forth-vitriolic profanity at a moments notice.

The Big White is definitely worth watching for those who like their humor dark and irreverent, with money, blackmail, death, madness and lots of snow make up most of what you'll see.

The performances are all enjoyably idiosyncratic and it's a refreshing change to see Williams playing such a normal character when the other characters are all so bizarre and outrageous. There isn't that many plot surprises, yet the wonderful Alaskan locations more than make up for any narrative deficits. Mike Leonard June 06.

Mark Mylod's largest film to date has been "Ali G Indahouse," a sporadically funny (but often silly) Sasha Baron Cohen character picture. For those now on a "Borat" high, you might want to catch up on another Cohen creation. Ali G can be an amusing hip-hop poser, but the film done as a conventional narrative lacks much of "Borat"'s imagination or ingenuity. So, several years later, it's impressive that he has aligned a cast of such magnitude as was assembled for the black comedy "The Big White." We've got Robin Williams, Holly Hunter, Woody Harrelson, Tim Blake Nelson, Giovanni Ribisi, and Alison Lohman in a comedy of murder, kidnapping, insurance fraud, phone psychics, and mental illness. Set in a small Alaskan hamlet, many people would like to compare this film to "Fargo." While the film shares some of the same comic sensibilities and a similar wintry locale, it's kind of like comparing "Casablanca" to "Pretty Woman." Both films may have a certain appeal, but they are definitely in different leagues.

Williams plays a down-on-his-luck travel agent with financial difficulties and a wife with Tourette's (Hunter). Needing cash, he tries to collect on his missing brother's insurance policy. Ribisi, as the insurance investigator, informs him that his brother has not been missing long enough to be considered legally dead and there's nothing that can be done. In a coincidence, a couple of amateur hitmen dump a body in the dumpster outside Williams' agency. Williams, on discovering the corpse, masterminds a plot to get his brother declared dead. The hitmen, then, are ordered to retrieve the body (which is now missing) and all types of mayhem ensues.

I will say that "The Big White" has a lot going for it, and I can imagine some people really enjoying it. For myself, however, the picture was always trying too hard to be outrageous--it's not grounded in the reality, heart, and subtlety that accompanied "Fargo." Yet it isn't played as an outright comedy either, it does expect you to care about the characters (which I really didn't, except as a mild diversion). I give all the actors credit for giving robust and committed performances. While not a huge Ribisi fan, I actually thought this was one of his better performances. And Tim Blake Nelson, as one of the hitmen, continues to be an underrated presence in any movie. A few words for Holly Hunter, whom I miss as a major actress. She is appealing, as always, in a cringeworthy conception--the Tourette's as a "cute" disease syndrome.

There are plenty of funny bits, some macabre humor--but there is so much going on (there's another story involving Ribisi's home life, and then there's Harrelson), the picture always felt slightly off balance. I certainly didn't regret watching "The Big White," it just never engaged me the way I wanted it too. A mild recommendation (especially if you like the actors), it might be a slight and enjoyable romp for you. About 3 1/2 stars. KGHarris, 12/06.

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I have seen enough Robin Williams films in the past several years where I know the movie night have been made if he had not signed on to do it, but his performance did not really work in the film. However, the Robin Williams that shows up for "The Big White" has managed to strip things down another level, so that he is actually the eye of the hurricane in this 2005 black comedy that lets the rest of the cast go off the deep end. The rest is not great, but pretty good for a black comedy, a genre that has seen more misfires than hits in the last couple of decades.

Williams is Paul Barnell, who runs a travel agency in the frozen wasteland that is Alaska (at least in this film; not because it is true, but because it makes the title of the film work). Paul is strapped for cash and has a wife, Margaret (Holly Hunter), who has problems. She is convinced that she has developed Tourettes, but that would appear to be one thing she does not have. It has been five years since Paul's brother Raymond disappeared, and since he has a $1 million life policy out on his brother, a criminal type for whom a bad ending would have been predictable, and since he needs the money, he talks to the insurance company about being able to collect. But he is told by Ted (Giovanni Ribisi), the insurance investigator, that in Alaska when there is no body you have to wait seven years and then the company gets to hem and haw for another year. So it looks like Paul is about at the end of his rope.

Then he takes some trash out to the dumpster behind his business and lo, there is a frozen corpse just laying there. After he gets over the initial shock, the wheels starting turning in Paul's mind and he takes the corpse home, stashes it in the fridge in the garage, and plots to pass the body off as that of his brother. This becomes a bit more difficult than Paul thinks, but the local cops and coroner buy it, so things are going good. But Ted, who wants to get promoted out of Alaska and back to the real world, is suspicious. However, this might be the least of Paul's problems because the corpse was dumped there by a couple of low level thugs, Gary (Tim Blake Nelson) and Jimbo (W. Earl Brown), and their boss wants the body back. Plus, you know that in a movie like this no deed, good or bad, will go unpunished, so it is not surprising when Raymond (Woody Harrelson) himself shows up.

Because this is a black comedy it skates perilously close to a line. Hunter's character is the one that is in comic overdrive in this particular film, and Alison Lohman as Tiffany, the girl who is living with Ted and running a psychic friend operation out of his dinning room, seems like a throw away character but actually functions as the connection that will bring everybody together on a glacier for the final act to play out. I was worried that "The Big White" was going to turn too dark, but it does avoid that and I actually liked that we suddenly find everybody sitting around in a car taking a moment to collect their thoughts before talking. Plus the misplace efforts of Gary to avoid letting anybody trace their phone call to Paul tickled my funny bone.

I realize there is a tendency to compare "The Big White" to "Fargo," but I do not feel viewers are under an obligation to do so. Yes, both involve snow and quirky characters, but "Fargo" was about a desperate guy trying to scheme his way out of a mess of his own making and "The Big White" is the story of a guy who wants to take care of his wife and tries to take advantage of an opportunity that falls into his lap. That his brother shows up and his wife gets kidnapped are just bitter ironies here and there are also the attendant injuries being added by the people who beat up Paul. So there are enough significant differences between the two for me to judge director Mark Mylod by a standard he would not be able to meet. Most viewers will find themselves ahead of the game when they finish watching this one. Besides, we are getting to that part of the year where a world of snow constitutes an inviting world of relief away from the sweltering days to come.

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The Big White is a tale of an Alaskan man by the name of Paul Barnell (played by Robin Williams) who has a sick wife and mounting bills, and is in need of some quick cash. Paul decides to cash in a life insurance claim on his long since missing brother. It is here that the chaos ensues.

The Big White was a nice diversion, and a fun film to watch. Robin Williams does a good job of creating sympathy for his situation. Holly Hunter, as Margaret Barnell, is one of the true gems in the film. Her character is very lovable and extremely well acted.

The supporting cast in Big White is put together well. There are plenty of oddball, quirky people like Giovanni Ribisi, W. Earl Brown, and Tim Blake Nelson. Lets not forget Woody Harrelson. Woody is wonderful in the film as well.

The story doesn't have a lot of "roll on the floor" laughing moments, but it is funny and a pleasure to watch. Some folks have compared it to Fargo. I don't think that's fair. Just because it is in a similar genre with a classic doesn't make a film bad. Both films are good for different reasons.

I didn't think of Fargo when watching the Big White. The Big White is good enough to stand on it's own.

This is a movie you will enjoy watching, a movie that you would probably watch again, and a movie worthy of purchasing.

Total Score (out of 100) = 79

40 (out of 50). Enjoyment. A rating based on my overall enjoyment of the film.

9 (out of 10). Acting. How good was the acting?

9 (out of 10). Immersion. Did the movie suck me into the story?

9 (out of 10). Intangibles. Special effects. Movie pace. Is the movie forgettable, or something you will talk about and remember for weeks? Years?

7 (out of 10). Must see. Is this movie worth seeing/renting?

5 (out of 10). Must buy. Is this movie a must buy/purchase?

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According to Wikipedia, "Black comedy, also known as black humor or dark comedy, is a sub-genre of comedy and satire where topics and events that are usually treated seriously death, mass murder, sickness, madness, terror, drug abuse, rape, war etc. are treated in a humorous or satirical manner. Synonyms include dark humor, morbid humor, gallows humor and off-color humor."

Ergo, The Big White is "dark comedy." To appreciate this movie, you have to appreciate the genre. Almost every character has a likable side (with the obvious exception of the "living dead brother").

This film reminded me in many ways of the film starring Steve Martin as the dentist with cascading problems (Novocaine, 2001).

My son says, "I thought it was very well done, with amazing acting, and with Robin Williams surprising you with the range of his acting ability."

My wife says, "Very intriguing. Beautiful scenery. Holly Hunter is great."

I say, "This is a great movie for a night with friends."

And... you have to love the "sub-genre"!