A HOLIDAY MOVIE THAT'S NEITHER NAUGHTY NOR NICE.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic HAROLD RAMIS' ``The Ice Harvest'' is a noir comedy that aims to be this year's ``Bad Santa.'' Both movies boast Billy Bob Thornton Robert George (Bob) Thornton (born July 10 1962, in Los Angeles, California) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA whose career lasted from 1985 to 1996. He was a 6'10" 225 forward. He holds career averages of 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 283 total games. , one of the few actors willing to traffic in quality sleaze sleaze n. A sleazy condition, quality, or appearance: "His record of public service is untouched by any stain of shadiness or sleaze" James J. Kilpatrick. , and both films juxtapose jux·ta·pose tr.v. jux·ta·posed, jux·ta·pos·ing, jux·ta·pos·es To place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. the sentimentality of the Christmas season against the seaminess of the characters' sordid shenanigans shenanigans Noun, pl Informal 1. mischief or nonsense 2. trickery or deception [origin unknown] . There the similarities end. ``Bad Santa'' came off as the ultimate middle finger to the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. ``The Ice Harvest'' wants to be both naughty and nice, and winds up existing in limbo between the two. It's neither convincing - nor, just as importantly, clever - in pulling off its thriller story line, and it's not funny enough to sustain your interest, save for its hilariously chaotic 20-minute middle section. John Cusack does his weary nice-guy thing playing Charlie Arglist, a Wichita attorney spurred by a midlife crisis midlife crisis n. A period of psychological doubt and anxiety that some people experience in middle age. midlife crisis into embezzling $2,147,000 from the coffers of a nasty crime boss (Randy Quaid). Charlie and his shady partner, Vic (Thornton), plan to get out of Dodge on the night they pull the heist, but the weather doesn't cooperate, giving them time to let their mutual mistrust fester fester /fes·ter/ (fes´ter) to suppurate superficially. fes·ter v. 1. To ulcerate. 2. To form pus; putrefy. n. An ulcer. . There's a femme femme adj. Slang Exhibiting stereotypical or exaggerated feminine traits. Used especially of lesbians and gay men. n. 1. Slang One who is femme. 2. Informal A woman or girl. fatale (Connie Nielsen, always a welcome screen presence), a drunken clown (Oliver Platt, over-the-top as usual, but pretty funny in spots), plenty of on-screen on·screen or on-screen adj. & adv. 1. As shown on a movie, television, or display screen. 2. Within public view; in public. vomit, the ironic inclusion of Alvin and the Chipmunks and lots and lots of snow in a Midwest winter that is anything but a wonderland. Novelist Richard Russo wrote the screenplay with Robert Benton. The two have collaborated twice before on Paul Newman movies; they co-wrote the contrived crime story ``Twilight,'' and Benton adapted Russo's ``Nobody's Fool,'' a richly observed character study of an aging failure that gave Newman his last great screen role. ``The Ice Harvest'' again suggests that Russo and Benton are more comfortable creating characters, not capers CAPERS. Vessels of war owned by private persons, and different from ordinary privateers (q.v.) only in size, being smaller. Bea. Lex. Mer. 230. . The story - all 88 minutes of it - is more watered-down than the booze in the film's strip clubs and, crucially, never achieves the tension necessary to keep the action moving forward. The best moments occur after Cusack and Thornton shed the facade of partnership and get down and dirty. Once they resolve their differences, the movie is effectively over, save for the obligatory shooting. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com THE ICE HARVEST - Two and one half stars (R: violence, language, sexuality/nudity) Starring: John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Platt. Director: Harold Ramis. Running time: 1 hr. 28 min. Playing: In wide release. In a nutshell: ``Bad Santa'' wannabe that tries to be both naughty and nice. It's not funny or convincing, save for its middle section, where leads Billy Bob Thornton and John Cusack drop the facade and have at it. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) TAKE AIM! Our look at movies this Thanksgiving weekend Tom Gapen/Staff Artist Billy Bob Thornton, left, and John Cusack plan a $2 million heist in ``The Ice Harvest.'' |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion