The Big White (2005)

Director:

Mark Mylod

Writer (WGA):

Collin Friesen (written by)

Release Date:

27 October 2005 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

When you need somebody, any body will do.

Plot:

To remedy his financial problems, a travel agent has his eye on a frozen corpse, which just happens to be sought after by two hitmen.

Plot Keywords:

Alaska | Life Insurance | Snow | Neighbor | Kidnapping

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Paul
Holly Hunter	...	Margaret
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Ted
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Gary
W. Earl Brown	...	Jimbo
Woody Harrelson	...	Raymond
Alison Lohman	...	Tiffany
Billy Merasty	...	Cam (as William Merasty)
Marina Stephenson Kerr	...	Avis
Ralph J. Alderman	...	Mr. Branch (as Ralph Alderman)
Frank Adamson	...	Detective
Andrea Shawcross	...	Hair Stylist
Ryan Miranda	...	Korean-am Teenager
Craig March	...	Howard
Ty Wood	...	Paperboy

Also Known As:

Auch Morden will gelernt sein (Germany) (TV title)
Auch morden will gelernt sein (Germany) (TV title)
Le grand blanc (Canada: French title)
The big White - Immer Ärger mit Raymond (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for language including sexual references and some violence.

Runtime:

100 min | Canada:105 min

Country:

Germany | Canada | New Zealand | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Germany:12 | USA:R (NO. 41498) | Australia:M | South Korea:15 | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating)

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Company:

Ascendant Pictures

Trivia:

According to the director's audio commentary on the DVD, financiers wanted Meg Ryan to play Holly Hunter's role. She flirted with the idea for about a year, before eventually dropping it.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: After the insurance investigators are done viewing Ted's video (which exposes the man loading the snowmobile as a fraud), the camera then pans over to Ted at his desk. Before it can pull in to a closer shot the boom mic (and part of the boom itself) is visible at the top of the frame.

Quotes:

Paul Barnell: [Margaret is bound and gagged in back seat of Jimbo's car] Why did you gag her?
Jimbo: [exasperated] You know!

Movie Connections:

References "Law & Order" (1990)

Soundtrack:

Billy Don't Be A Hero

Fargoesque!

The Big White focus on travel agent Paul Barnell (Robin Williams), and him trying to overcome his financial dilemmas. After failing to cash out the insurance policy of his brother, who is missing since 5 years and assumed dead, he stumbles across a frozen corpse. A new opportunity arises, but not without problems! While trying to get the corpse to pass of as his dead brother, Paul need to handle the two hit men (W. Earl Brown and Tim Blake Nelson) wanting their corpse back and keep one step ahead of insurance agent Ted (Giovanni Ribisi).One heck of a stew is cooking!

You can't avoid comparing The Big White with the Coen brothers' Fargo, since they're similar in style and story. Fargo, however, is better. But this film is far from bad, and it's not as black a comedy as the Coens-flick.

Acting and characters are wonderful. The script works perfectly. The pace is sometimes on the slow side, but not for long. The story is a mixture of love, comedy, drama, sadness and perhaps a wee bit of hatred. Good stuff for a movie in other words! You won't get disappointed by this film, unless you've got something against the similarities with Fargo. If you loved Fargo, you'll like this one. Perhaps even more. 8/10