The Big White

What a pleasant surprise this film was for me. I ordered it via Video on Demand through the Time Warner cable system. They listed two cast members: Woody Harrelson and Alison Lohman. I love Alison (see Matchstick Men), so I decided to take a look.

Then, the opening credits begin and I see, Robin Williams, Holly Hunter, Giovanni Ribisi, and Tim Blake Nelson, and I think, Why haven't I heard of this film before?

Usually, before I order a movie with which I am not familiar, I go to IMDbPro to read a review or two. I chose not to do that this time. After seeing and enjoying the film so much, I looked at a couple of reviews and one person tore it up because it seemed to be too derivative of the Coen Brothers' work.

Ridiculous and Cynical nonsense.

All films made now are derived from other movies, or TV shows, or books. The story and the acting pulled me in and I enjoyed myself very much. I can see what the reviewer meant about the film having a Coen brothers feel, but so what.

Bravo to all involved.

"There is a picture of my movie on a milk carton. Have you seen this movie? It's missing… I don't know what happened to it… it's a funny movie... a strange movie. But it's literally one of those productions where you go... phht, gone. Not even straight to DVD, just gone."

• Robin Williams

Some movies just don't stand a chance. Orson Welles and Sergio Leone both suffered the frustrations of seeing beloved productions sabotaged in front of their eyes. (Well, in Welles' case, "The Magnificent Ambersons" was chopped by fifty minutes while he was out of the country, but I imagine he ultimately would have felt the same as Leone, whose "Once Upon a Time in America" was butchered by Warner Bros.' editor and mangled into a two-hour mess.) But occasionally something even worse happens – the film just totally disappears. Jerry Lewis was passionate about "The Day the Clown Cried" until he saw the final cut – which was presumably bad enough that it caused him to vow never to let anyone see it. He is in possession of the only negative in existence – which is tucked away in a vault inside his home. He wouldn't even let his daughter watch it. For all the people involved in the production of the film, it must have felt like a rug had been pulled from under their feet. Work under grueling conditions and persevere for countless hours on a crowded movie set – only to realize your efforts will never be seen by anyone? "The Big White" is such a film – after generating less-than-enthusiastic reviews at a handful of North American and European screenings, its worldwide distributor, Capitol Films, pulled the plug and decided not to release it into theaters at the risk of losing money on advertising. The film died a silent death and disappeared for two years, before finally surfacing on DVD in Canada and Asian markets thanks to Alliance-Atlantis films. It has subsequently gained a small cult following and sales overseas have been better than expected.

Comparisons to "Fargo" (and there have been many) are valid. Screenwriter Collin Friesen mimics the Coen Brothers' penchant for wickedly dark humor, and even places his film in a snowy setting in the Yukon (the film was shot on location as well as in Winnipeg). Even the plot is similar: a down-on-his-luck businessman (played by Robin Williams) cannot afford to help his troubled wife (Holly Hunter), who seems to suffer from some type of "stress"-induced tourette's syndrome, and decides to cash in on the long absence of his brother (Woody Harrelson) by passing him off as legally dead and gaining a $1,000,000 life insurance payment. Unfortunately, Canadian law demands that a person be missing for more than ten years to be declared legally dead. So when Williams finds a dead body in a dumpster outside his office (the temporary storage place for two bumbling hit men who never suspect anyone will find the body), he passes it off as his brother and collects a check.

But a claims inspector (Giovanni Ribisi) is suspicious of the sudden appearance of this long-lost brother, and as he begins to investigate realizes what is really going on. Meanwhile, Williams' wife is kidnapped by the two hit men who want back their dead body, and brother Woody Harrelson returns after reading about his "death" in a paper – demanding a portion of the paycheck.

The finale is violent and unexpected, but the build-up is, at times, deliberately pretentious and decidedly "low-budget" – and if you've seen any independent film of the last ten years or so, you'll understand what this means. Long, artsy shots of nothingness; excessively quirky characters; brutal humor; vicious sarcasm.

But it's a fun movie. It's no "Fargo" but director Mark Mylod keeps it moving along at a steady pace. Williams phones in another twisted performance, but it's Giovanni and his girlfriend in the movie, played by Alison Lohman, who really stand out – along with Hunter as Williams' oddball wife. Although her profane outbursts become annoying after a while, for the most part Hunter manages to balance the humor and pathos correctly.

For fans of dark humor or independent features this is one worth checking out. It will appeal to some viewers very much, and others will probably loathe it. I found it to be agreeably distracting and thought its saving graces were standout performances by its cast. Apart from this, however, you'd be better off watching "Fargo" again.

The theme of this movie is that people can't help but revert to being caring and polite. It is quite sweet to watch even abductors and abductees treating each other with kindness, simply because they forget themselves and act instinctively. A typical joke of this form was the kidnapper preparing a gourmet meal for his victim, and fussing over whether she enjoyed it.

It is not the wild crazy comedy you would expect of Robin Williams. It is more the nightmare of how a small crime is forced to escalate.

There is a lot of quite grisly violence. People do it without thinking, then later think better of it.

The Holly Hunter character is a complete original. She is a bit nuts, but very pleasant.

Even the young ditzy phony telephone psychic loves her clients, and gives them quite reasonable advice.

It does not tie up loose ends. You are always guessing why people are doing what they are. There is no Agatha Christie ending to explain it all.

Not a holly hunter fan but she is amazing in this movie, and what a cast I only gave it a 6 because it's a slow burn and they could have made it move faster but overall worth watching once Robin Williams gives another phenomenal performance and all of us MISS him...... especially now!!!!!

I guess you could compare this film to Fargo or Mystery Alaska. Its worth a watch of you enjoy a black comedy. It has some great slapstick moments and the acting performances and direction are all fantastic. The humour may be a bit subtle for some people but I thought it had great charm throughout. The story line may seem a bit similar to other movies such as A simple plan, Shallow Grave and Fargo but there was enough originality to keep you interested. The Chemistry between Robin Williams and Giovanni Ribisi really works and you can tell the director gave them a chance to flow and add lib their scenes together. Some of the visuals out in the snow and mountains are stunning too. *** Rent it, you wont be disappointed.