The Big White

"When you need somebody, anybody will do."

2005 1h 40m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🥫

30%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.3

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 336🥫30%Rotten Tomatoes●31Metacritic★6.3IMDB · 16,096

ComedyCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

To remedy his financial problems, a travel agent has his eye on a frozen corpse, which just happens to be sought after by two hitmen.

“When you need somebody, anybody will do.”

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Cast

Robin Williams
Paul Barnell
Holly Hunter
Margaret Barnell
Giovanni Ribisi
Ted
Tim Blake Nelson
Gary
W. Earl Brown
Jimbo
Woody Harrelson
Raymond Barnell
Alison Lohman
Tiffany
Marina Stephenson Kerr
Avis

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mark Mylod
Writers: Collin Friesen
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, Germany, New Zealand, United States of America, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 4% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 5 countries: Canada, Germany, New Zealand, United States of America, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mark Mylod, shot by James Glennon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Mothersbaugh. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Julie Monroe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robin Williams and Holly Hunter and Giovanni Ribisi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When you need somebody, anybody will do.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mark Mylod directs. James Glennon behind the camera. Mark Mothersbaugh scores. Julie Monroe cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Canada, Germany, New Zealand, United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 4% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 21 years ago.
3International production across 5 countries: Canada, Germany, New Zealand, United States of America, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Mark Mylod, shot by James Glennon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mark Mothersbaugh. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Julie Monroe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Robin Williams and Holly Hunter and Giovanni Ribisi carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "When you need somebody, anybody will do.".
9IMDB entry: tt0402850 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "hitman", "businessman", "kidnapping", "dark comedy".

The technical file

Cinematography: James Glennon
Original score: Mark Mothersbaugh
Editing: Julie Monroe
Production design: Jon Billington
Costume design: Darena Snowe
Makeup / hair: Doug Morrow
Sound: Jon Taylor
Stunt coordinator: Rick Skene
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $14,000,000
Box office: $541,840
Return: 4% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): 12
IMDB: The Big White (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes: 30% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 31/100
IMDB rating: 6.3/10 · 16,096 votes
MPAA: R

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Mark Mylod

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-03-16
★ 6/10
Quirky crime/dramedy with loads of black humor tries a little too hard The owner of a small travel agency in Alaska (Robin Williams) loves his wife with Tourette Syndrome (Holly Hunter), but he’s financially strapped and needs funds fast. After stumbling upon a frozen corpse he hatches a harebrained scheme that draws the suspicion of an obsessed insurance claims investigator (Giovanni Ribisi). Alison Lohman plays the latter’s live-in girlfriend while Woody Harrelson plays the protagonist’s wild brother. Tim Blake Nelson and W. Earl Brown are also on hand as goofy wannabe hitmen. “The Big White” (2005) is similar to “Fargo” (1996), but more eccentric and comedic. Imagine “A Simple Plan” (1998) or the later “Sugar Mountain” (2016) if they were oddball black comedies and you’d have a good idea. The cast is notable and it’s entertaining enough for what it is while attempting to balance the unsavory with the honorable, but it tries a bit too hard to be offbeat (which I suppose is better than not trying enough). Meanwhile the locations & cinematography are great, Lohman is stunning in a cute way and the score is exceptional. The movie runs 1 hour, 40 minutes, and was shot in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Whitehorse, Yukon. The bulk of the outdoor sequences and cinematography were shot at summit of the White Pass along the border of Alaska and British Columbia, not far from Skagway. GRADE: B-/C+

Production companies