The Big White

The basic plot is quite good, but you'll still have the feeling the whole time that it's just a variation on Fargo, a variation that isn't as interesting, as funny, and ultimately not as gritty. There are some great characters here - Robin's wife is perfect, and Giovanni Ribisi delivers another solid performance, but in the end, it doesn't leave much of an impact. (05/21/2015)

This is going to sound weird, but this black comedy is incredibly cute. Robin Williams gives a traditional good performance (thanks to a good script), Holly Hunter is charming, and Giovanni Ribisi is excellent. I laughed at many of the scenes (finding and storing the corpse, luring wolves, the wife as a hostage...), but when I saw the main character trying to shoot a sleeping man in an irresistible way, I giggled. The chilling Alaskan setting, absurd atmosphere, beautiful cinematography and music... I certainly haven't seen the last of The Big White. (11/25/2012)

The Big White is one film in a long series of crime comedies with a somewhat crazy plot that revolves around a million-dollar insurance policy, a lost brother, and a dead body that changes identity and owner. For a long time, I thought I was watching a four-star film because the cast is above standard and both the exaggerated tone and the style of humor suited me more than the now-popular bloody Tarantino films. The screenplay did occasionally falter and some details were simply unresolved by the screenwriter, but it got going in the last 15 minutes when he apparently felt the need to add more imagination and emotions. Still, it is a solid film with the consistently good Robin Williams and Holly Hunter, and Woody Harrelson plays one of his typical violent lunatics. Overall impression: 60%. (10/10/2010)

Even the strong cast doesn't make the film higher than average. It has too much formal modesty and occasional overcomplicated plot passages that are unnecessarily drawn out even with regard to creating the psychology of the characters. Moreover, the director is not skilled enough to mix humor, a bit black in this case (the corpse in the fridge), with serious themes (unresolved partner relationships), so the result looks a bit awkward. There’s also the fact that the entire film is conceived too blandly (but it’s not boring), which makes the overall impression on the viewer somewhat bland, and you’ll forget about it after a few days. If you want to go to Alaska and you have to do it with Robin Williams, then only in Insomnia. -Blockbuster 07/06- (06/18/2006)