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The Big White
Paul Barnell's brother has gone missing. And as far as he knows, might even be dead. But the insurance company still doesn't want to give him any money, which leaves Paul in a state of desperation. When he discovers a lifeless body in a dumpster, instead of calling the police he decides to use it as a decoy for his brother, so he can prove that "he's" dead and cash in a huge check. Unfortunately for Paul, Ted is very suspicious and will do anything to uncover his bluff. And that's not the only problem...
It's been a while since I saw a dark comedy. And I thought, what better way to go than with one of my favorite actors? Robin Williams was known for wanting to surprise his audience. So when the 2000's came along, he decided to take on more darker roles, while still also doing the occasional lighter ones. But in terms of how sinister his character is, it's less Insomnia or One Hour Photo and more World's Greatest Dad. Despite his twisted plan of taking some random poor guy's body to exploit for his own financial gain, you side with him all the way. He has an understandable motivation, and Williams plays him with such likability and genuine care that you not only feel bad for him, but actually start to smile every time he manages to get around corners and continue proceeding with his plan. There's one part where he has to explain why the body he found doesn't have the birthmark his brother has, which of course would prove he's using this body as a decoy. But then he comes up with an explanation so ridiculous, yet incredibly smart at the same time. Ted's dumbfounded reaction makes it even better.
Let's talk about Ted as well. He could easily have been a typical obnoxious character whose entire job is to stand in Paul's way, and that's about it. But as much as we might find him unlikable in his introductory scene, as the movie unfolds he becomes more vulnerable and human. He's consumed by work, he gets no respect or considerable help, he gets beaten around (quite literally at points) and he has a girlfriend at home he never makes any time for because he's so focused on his own tasks. Giovanni Ribsi plays the character with the right amount of snarkiness and vulnerability. Allison Lohman is equally good as the phone therapist Tiffany, and portrays very well someone who can reach out to just about everyone except Ted, the man she tries to connect to but is no longer the same person she fell in love with.
But the best performance next to Williams comes from Holly Hunter as Paul's wife Margaret. I loved her in this movie! Her jittery almost parrot-sounding way of talking along with her bouncy body movements makes her a joy to watch every second. One part that made me possibly laugh the most is when she blinks franctically. It looks unreal, like someone used a CGI effect, but that's simply a credit to Hunter's acting. She has Tourettes and it's the kind that we usually see depicted, but Hunter's childlike and adorably quirky portrayal makes her more than just a one-joke parody. The way they do use her Tourettes as well is clever, where she both has moments where she swears involuntarily and others where she clearly uses them as a weapon or as a snappy comeback. She has a sickness, but doesn't let it make her a victim. And you can tell that Paul still loves her even though she's not entirely herself anymore. He just wants her to be happy.
There's another, much worse obstacle Paul has to deal with besides Ted breathing behind his back. The body he stole happens to be a murder victim, and when the killers Gary and Jimbo can't find the body in the container, they have to find it. And when they discover that it's Paul who kept it stored, they keep his wife hostage and demand Paul get them the money he would earn for the body (which is 1000000, but he lies and says it's 100000).
There's some very funny back-and-forth dialogue between Margaret and her kidnappers, where she constantly tests their patience with her constant insults, where Gary also argues that she's faking her Tourettes due to things he's read up about it, and the fact that the majority don't tend to swear so much.
Jimbo has some good lines too, like questioning Margaret's comment about the food how she would know it tastes like a rectal polyp. Generally though I think Gary made me chuckle more, a rare example of the straightman being funnier than the goofball.
Funnily enough, by the end I forgot the kidnappers are actually killers, given how they are so enjoyable throughout. I guess that's the power of audience manipulation.
One thing that makes it stick out is the visual style. Throughout the cinematography is very white-looking, and I don't just mean the cast. Giovanni Ribsi looks very pale even when he's not out freezing, and there's a heavy use of large snowy backgrounds, with overhead shots of people walking like figures against a blank surface. It looks very beautiful and serves the dark story well.
If you love Robin Williams, don't skip over this one. It's more cute than laugh-out-loud, but will make you smile all the way through.
Paul Barnell's brother has gone missing. And as far as he knows, might even be dead. But the insurance company still doesn't want to give him any money, which leaves Paul in a state of desperation. When he discovers a lifeless body in a dumpster, instead of calling the police he decides to use it as a decoy for his brother, so he can prove that "he's" dead and cash in a huge check. Unfortunately for Paul, Ted is very suspicious and will do anything to uncover his bluff. And that's not the only problem...
It's been a while since I saw a dark comedy. And I thought, what better way to go than with one of my favorite actors? Robin Williams was known for wanting to surprise his audience. So when the 2000's came along, he decided to take on more darker roles, while still also doing the occasional lighter ones. But in terms of how sinister his character is, it's less Insomnia or One Hour Photo and more World's Greatest Dad. Despite his twisted plan of taking some random poor guy's body to exploit for his own financial gain, you side with him all the way. He has an understandable motivation, and Williams plays him with such likability and genuine care that you not only feel bad for him, but actually start to smile every time he manages to get around corners and continue proceeding with his plan. There's one part where he has to explain why the body he found doesn't have the birthmark his brother has, which of course would prove he's using this body as a decoy. But then he comes up with an explanation so ridiculous, yet incredibly smart at the same time. Ted's dumbfounded reaction makes it even better.
Let's talk about Ted as well. He could easily have been a typical obnoxious character whose entire job is to stand in Paul's way, and that's about it. But as much as we might find him unlikable in his introductory scene, as the movie unfolds he becomes more vulnerable and human. He's consumed by work, he gets no respect or considerable help, he gets beaten around (quite literally at points) and he has a girlfriend at home he never makes any time for because he's so focused on his own tasks. Giovanni Ribsi plays the character with the right amount of snarkiness and vulnerability. Allison Lohman is equally good as the phone therapist Tiffany, and portrays very well someone who can reach out to just about everyone except Ted, the man she tries to connect to but is no longer the same person she fell in love with.
WARNING: spoilers below
When Tiff threatens to move out, Ted finally comes to his senses and gets her involved in his mission as a chance for them to reconnect. This gives Tiffany the idea of the listening game, where they both have to give them their sides (this has a more effective use little later on).
But the best performance next to Williams comes from Holly Hunter as Paul's wife Margaret. I loved her in this movie! Her jittery almost parrot-sounding way of talking along with her bouncy body movements makes her a joy to watch every second. One part that made me possibly laugh the most is when she blinks franctically. It looks unreal, like someone used a CGI effect, but that's simply a credit to Hunter's acting. She has Tourettes and it's the kind that we usually see depicted, but Hunter's childlike and adorably quirky portrayal makes her more than just a one-joke parody. The way they do use her Tourettes as well is clever, where she both has moments where she swears involuntarily and others where she clearly uses them as a weapon or as a snappy comeback. She has a sickness, but doesn't let it make her a victim. And you can tell that Paul still loves her even though she's not entirely herself anymore. He just wants her to be happy.
WARNING: spoilers below
It's the entire reason he goes through with this elaborate scheme in the first place.
There's another, much worse obstacle Paul has to deal with besides Ted breathing behind his back. The body he stole happens to be a murder victim, and when the killers Gary and Jimbo can't find the body in the container, they have to find it. And when they discover that it's Paul who kept it stored, they keep his wife hostage and demand Paul get them the money he would earn for the body (which is 1000000, but he lies and says it's 100000).
There's some very funny back-and-forth dialogue between Margaret and her kidnappers, where she constantly tests their patience with her constant insults, where Gary also argues that she's faking her Tourettes due to things he's read up about it, and the fact that the majority don't tend to swear so much.
Jimbo has some good lines too, like questioning Margaret's comment about the food how she would know it tastes like a rectal polyp. Generally though I think Gary made me chuckle more, a rare example of the straightman being funnier than the goofball.
WARNING: spoilers below
But you can't talk about this movie without bringing up Woody Harrelson. He's so intimidating yet comic in his psychopathic callousness (going as far to suggest Paul should kill his own wife "just in case") that you laugh at him even though you're scared of him at the same time. In the last scene where he goes after Paul after he deserts him, he's genuinely creepy in his determination to kill his own brother if he has to, and makes you realize he was the real threat in all of this, not the kidnappers or Ted. When he gets shot and dies, the movie comes full circle. It started out with Paul thinking his brother is dead, and now he really was, showing how maybe he was too crazy for his world.
The final confrontation between Paul and Ted is what the whole plot has been leading up to. Ted has proof that he lied and now demands some god-damn answers. He's also through with sentimentality, so when Paul starts to explain but does it in a very rosy manner, he punches him anyway. After that we see the two couples in the car, with Tiffany asking Ted to listen to Paul and not interrupt. He starts talking and the story ends there. We don't see Ted's reaction, we are left to wonder for ourselves if he forgives him or not.
The final confrontation between Paul and Ted is what the whole plot has been leading up to. Ted has proof that he lied and now demands some god-damn answers. He's also through with sentimentality, so when Paul starts to explain but does it in a very rosy manner, he punches him anyway. After that we see the two couples in the car, with Tiffany asking Ted to listen to Paul and not interrupt. He starts talking and the story ends there. We don't see Ted's reaction, we are left to wonder for ourselves if he forgives him or not.
Funnily enough, by the end I forgot the kidnappers are actually killers, given how they are so enjoyable throughout. I guess that's the power of audience manipulation.
One thing that makes it stick out is the visual style. Throughout the cinematography is very white-looking, and I don't just mean the cast. Giovanni Ribsi looks very pale even when he's not out freezing, and there's a heavy use of large snowy backgrounds, with overhead shots of people walking like figures against a blank surface. It looks very beautiful and serves the dark story well.
If you love Robin Williams, don't skip over this one. It's more cute than laugh-out-loud, but will make you smile all the way through.