Fargo in Alaska

THE BIG WHITE (2005)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"The Big White" is as much a homage to the Coen Brothers as it is its own movie. Still, ripping off "Fargo" with some clear delineations doesn't render it as a bad film - just a solid effort that could've been so much more.

Robin Williams is Paul, a near-bankrupt travel agent living in the icy world of Alaska. He has a wife, Margaret (Holly Hunter), who walks around the wintry roads with her pajamas, is disorganized around the kitchen and is afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome. One night, Paul discovers a dead body in the dumpster and passes it off as his long- lost brother so he can collect from an insurance policy worth one million dollars. Of course, he has hit a snag since the corpse is not his dead brother since the hitmen who killed this anonymous person are trying to find the body. Then there is the insurance agent (Giovanni Ribisi) who suspects foul play and, to make matters worse, Paul's real brother (Woody Harrelson) suddenly shows up in town. This definitely is Coen territory.

Unfortunately, director Mark Myloyd chooses to up the ante on riffs borrowed from "Fargo." The hit men are clumsy and stupid, just like the ones in "Fargo" (though one of them tries to be a good cook). Paul's character is not so different from William H. Macy's own Lundegaard, though Williams is far more restrained. And lastly there is the landscape, which is not as much of a character as Minnesota was in "Fargo."

The one refreshing aspect to "The Big White" is the dynamic, bouncy charm of Holly Hunter. She dominates the screen and proves her worth in gestures and body language - a character who is suffering yet she does a good job of hiding it. One wonders if the Tourette's is an actual symptom or just some other gradual mental illness. Her Margaret is an original that is coming from a better movie. I didn't dislike "The Big White" and I enjoyed the performances, but it is merely a faint echo of "Fargo." Had the movie focused on these characters instead of all this insurance and ransom business, it might have been a real offbeat winner.