Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- macabre
- quirky
- bleakly comic
- dark comedy night
- crime movie marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found the darkly comic premise and performances appealing but judged the execution uneven, over reliant on cheap jokes, and burdened by clichéd characterization.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Paul's failing travel agency and the surrounding criminal scheme unfold in the middle of Alaska, where distance and limited opportunity shape every choice.
Paul passes off an unidentified corpse as his missing brother to collect a million-dollar life-insurance payout.
The corpse, insurance fraud, kidnapping, and rookie hit men generate increasingly grim but absurd complications.
Paul's discovery and concealment of the body entangles the insurance investigator, the hit men, and the missing brother.
Films like The Big White, and why
Fargo
darkly comic crime caper driven by desperate schemes, eccentric characters, and escalating complications
The Ice Harvest
bleakly funny small-town crime story combining criminal ineptitude, regional atmosphere, and moral desperation
The Ladykillers
quirky crime dramedy with mistaken identities, offbeat criminals, and grim humor
Movie Details
- Director
- Mark Mylod
- Release Date
- 2005-10-27
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (336)
Cast
- Robin Williams
- Holly Hunter
- Giovanni Ribisi
- Tim Blake Nelson
- W. Earl Brown
- Woody Harrelson
- Alison Lohman
- Marina Stephenson Kerr
- Billy Merasty
- Ralph Alderman
Common questions
- What is The Big White about?
- A desperate Alaskan travel agent turns a corpse into an insurance windfall, triggering a snowbound chain reaction of fraud, kidnapping, and criminal farce.
- What is The Big White like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Big White as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Big White violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Big White as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Big White?
- Critics generally found the darkly comic premise and performances appealing but judged the execution uneven, over reliant on cheap jokes, and burdened by clichéd characterization.
- Which films are like The Big White?
- Films with a similar feel include Fargo, The Ice Harvest, and The Ladykillers.
- How long is The Big White?
- The Big White runs 100 minutes.
