Bar • In
the beginning of the film, Renata (Connie
Nielsen) and Charlie (John Cusak) share
a witty conversation. Renata is suspicious
of Charlie’s happy behavior. The
Angellotti Company
Money, mayhem in ‘Harvest’
By
David Whisler
Online Forty-Niner
Copy Editor
Imagine it’s Christmas Eve, you’ve just embezzled $2 million from
a mob boss and you’ve got to get out of town, but Mother Nature is conspiring
against you.
The frigid weather plays an integral role in John Cusak’s latest film, “The
Ice Harvest,” setting a scene for this well-done film noir comedy to
play out.
Director Harold Ramis — Dr. Egon Spengler of the ’80s classic “Ghostbusters” movies — had
originally planned to set the story in a blizzard, but budgetary concerns derailed
that idea. He said inspiration struck while driving home in a sleet storm one
evening. He took it as a sign that it should be a wet Christmas, rather than
a white one.
He set the scene further by allowing his actors to develop their own back-stories
for their characters. We know very little about their lives when the movie
begins, except that Charlie Arglist (Cusak) is a lawyer for a group of strip
clubs; Vic (Billy Bob Thornton) is his partner; Renata (Connie Nielsen) manages
one of the clubs and Pete Van Heuten is a drunk.
Van Heuten, played brilliantly by Oliver Platt, is married to Charlie’s
ex-wife. Platt seems to shine when he plays less than savory characters such
as this. However, one can’t help but fall in love with his hapless portrayal
of Pete,
Charlie’s right hand man, who is at the end of his rope.
Cusak plays Charlie with equal aptitude. Clearly at his wits’ end, he
is a man whose only wish for Christmas is to take the money and run.
At a recent press conference, Cusak, Platt, Neilson and Ramis spoke as though
they’d had the time of their lives making the film. Cusak compared his
relationship with Thorton to that of old friends who pick up after an extended
absence right where they left off. The two last worked together in 1999’s “Pushing
Tin.”
Nielson is best known for her role as Lucilla in the 2000 Academy Award-winning
Best Picture “Gladiator.”
The Denmark native glistens in classic film noir style as Renata. Her performance
brings to mind those of film vixens Veronica Lake and Lauren Bacall.
“
The Ice Harvest” is the kind of film best enjoyed by letting yourself
get lost in it. Don’t try to analyze every scene or look for each character’s
motivation. The film itself is a bit lost. It allows its viewers to peek inside
the lives of a group of rather ordinary, if not deeply flawed, people and a
couple of unlikely heroes to find themselves cheering for a guy who has just
ripped off $2 million.
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