Dir. Mark Mylod, New Zealand/ US/ Canada, 2006, 100 min
Cast: Robin Williams, Holly Hunter, Giovanni Ribisi
Review by Becky Day
Paul Barnell (Williams) and his wife (Hunter) are living in a very small community in blissfully white Canada. Unfortunately, his wife seems to have some form of mental illness akin to Tourettes syndrome. Paul is swamped in debt, and is in a dilemma about how he’s going to pay for his wife’s treatment. He finds the answer in a dumpster; a dead body. He claims the body is his lost brother so that he can collect the one million dollar benefits and so everything is resolved… if only it was that simple. The two men who killed the man now want the body back, the insurance salesman knows that Mr Barnell is lying and goes to every extreme length possible to prove it, and the real long lost brother returns for his share.
It is characteristically similar to Fargo: set in a desolate snowy region, the two useless hit men, the lead desperate for money and the person that can’t let the issue rest. The problem with creating a film that is so likened to the well known Coen Brothers project is that it either has to be better or it’ll be classified as a copy. You can appreciate where they tried to change the film to make it their own, for instance adding in the sentimental scenes to show the deep bond between Mr and Mrs Barnell. However, Holly’s character has such a juvenile personality that when she’s skipping around the house and Robin is watching her it comes off as a little seedy. Admittedly there are a few rare but very funny dark moments which makes the whole experience worth while.
Giovanni Ribisi gives a stunning performance. The weird wired character he plays as Phoebe’s brother in ‘Friends’ seemed to be extracted here and embellished with a brain, with lots of new quirks and layers added in for good measure. He plays the insurance salesman and is a pleasure to watch, the easiest person to empathise with as he completely overreacts to a small matter and climbs right to the end of his tether.
It has some interesting shots, but the landscape shoots itself really. Overall the film is an enjoyable watch but for it to stand the test of time like Fargo is unlikely.
Discuss this film here
Cinema Club have announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of The Big White for 7th August 2006 priced at £17.99.
Features include:
- 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
- English DD5.1 Surround
- English subtitles
- Director’s Commentary
- Adventures in Film Making Featurette
- Selected B-Roll
- Trailer
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