The Big White (2005)

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.

Director:

Mark Mylod

Writer:

Collin Friesen

Stars:

Robin Williams, Holly Hunter, Giovanni Ribisi

Cast

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

Storyline

In the middle of Alaska, travel agent Paul Barnell is near bankruptcy. Desperate to help himself and his beloved, mentally-ill wife Margaret, Paul discovers a dead body and passes it off as his missing brother Raymond, whose life is insured for up to $1,000,000. Everybody is duped, except for workaholic insurance investigator Ted Waters, who sets out to expose Paul, in hopes of being promoted out of Alaska. Meanwhile, two rookie hit men, Gary and Jimbo, discover Paul took 'their' body and kidnap Margaret, demanding the body back. Then, Raymond turns up alive, wanting in on the action...

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Plot Keywords:

alaska | life insurance | snow | investigation | bound and gagged | 

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Taglines:

When you need somebody, any body will do.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including sexual references and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Ascendant Pictures Official site [de]

Country:

Germany Canada New Zealand USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Golpe de suerte

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ascendant Pictures, Capitol Films, Film & Entertainment VIP Medienfonds 2 GmbH & Co. KG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At one filming location in Winnipeg there was a playground behind the set. Robin Williams spent some time amusing the kids, telling jokes and autographing everything from movies to children's shoes.

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Goofs

When Paul Barnell discovers the body in the dumpster he says, "911" and proceeds to dial three digits and you hear ringing. The tones the buttons make on the cell phone as the digits are pressed are actually "123".

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Quotes

Minister: Why is God, who is a loving God, capable of such things? When someone is taken from us at such a young age, we often ask ourselves why.
Margaret Barnell: Bullshit.

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Connections

References Law & Order (1990)

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Soundtracks

"Trouble With Dreams"
Written by Mark Everett (as Mark Oliver Everett)
Performed by The Eels (as Eels)
Courtesy of Vagrant Records

User Reviews

A new favorite.

I really liked this movie. I picked it up on a whim one night simply because Williams and Harrelson were in it. I had never heard of the movie before. It's wonderful. It's full of dark humor and light humanistic moments that are sure to make you laugh. You feel for Robin's character and you want him to succeed...even though his task is gruesome. The end of the movie even makes you feel for Harrelson's character whom is loathsome when you first meet him. I have to say, however, my favorite is Holly Hunter in this one. Not usually a big fan because of her weird accent, but she is laugh out loud funny. It seems as though she's simply pretending to have an illness so that she can do and say whatever she feels like. It's a great movie that hasn't received enough attention.