I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The girlfriend-boyfriend interaction is jessica and hector in essence and style, right out of tom zuber's earlier, more sardonic, earthier, more true-to-life, and simpler LANSDOWN. This includes the "first you go, then i go" dialogue request of the girlfriend. Also lifted from LANSDOWN are several high-up direct downward camera angles, coupled with direct upward reverse angles, that are perfectly zuberesque in style. Finally, The Big White duplicates in toto tom zuber's now classic shot of the men looking down at the body in the trunk to assure it's the right body! I'd go back and watch Lansdown for sure! The thing about Lansdown is that it was done on a shoestring budget. But the dark witty humor is so subtle you chuckle all the way through. This is something I did not do on The Big White. What I love about movies is that viewers can always tell the real deal when they see it and hear it. Even though this movie has a relatively rich budget with high production values, LANSDOWN goes right to your senses as being the original whole enchilada despite its earthier look. It's a much more sincere, darker and meaningful, and funnier flick!

The obvious other movie that comes to mind when watching 'The Big White' is the Coen Brothers's 'Fargo' (you know, the kidnapping/ransom of the spouse, the money, Winnipeg etc). However, it's the comedy that makes the difference. In 'Fargo' the humour is more subtle and disguised as drama while in 'The Big White' the dialogues and situations are more obviously funny and that's what gives it its own charm. Another difference is that 'Fargo' is a black comedy while this one is more of a dark comedy that's not exactly black. Mark Mylod directs a splendid ensemble cast and tells the story at an initially slow but eventually steady pace. The actors are great. Robin Williams as the down-on-his-luck travel agent trying to make some quick bucks is wonderful. Holly Hunter is hilarious as the wife suffering from fake Tourettes syndrome (more likely a form of Munchausen's syndrome). She brilliantly balances humour and pathos. Both she and Williams share a good chemistry as do Giovanni Ribisi and Allison Lohman. Ribisi naturally fits the part while Lohman has a small role but makes the best of what she has and shines. Tim Blake Nelson and Earl Brown are quite funny too and Woody Harrelson, though initially loud, manages to give a more controlled performance in the latter reel. It's a dark comedy, so the humour is obviously dark but this is a fun film and I really liked it. The songs are very nice too especially 'I Want To Protect You' by Mark Everett. The cinematography is marvelous in the beginning but slowly settles for OK as the story moves towards the end. It's a pity that the film didn't even get a proper theatrical release and remains underrated and unseen by many. I'm glad I caught it and it's definitely worth watching for those who like dark comedy. What's not to like? There's violence, romance, suspense, humour and it's a clever story.

Reading through some of the other comments, a common train of thought seems to be "where did this come from?". I would class myself as a regular film go-er, and pride myself with my knowledge of up and coming films. Yet, I had never even heard of this fantastic movie! It was a chance encounter in HMV that lead me to this.And, it is fantastic! Tim Blake Nelson and Earl Brown steal the show in my mind...if only every Hit-man were so inept! And, it was nice to see Robin Williams step back slightly, and tone his character down. Excellent choice! You really, really, really should watch this film, and see what so many others missed out on!

Some day the minders of this board will finally deal with the ludicrous -esque problem, where -esquire is forcibly substituted unless you type -e s q u e. If you leave a space in front it sometimes leaves it alone, as it did above, but then the construction is wrong. It annoys the sh!t out of me. (You can't say the proper word for poo, either.) On to the film:I wasn't expecting too much, as Robin Williams isn't really my cup of tea; fortunately, he wasn't trying to be funny (which he never is) and wasn't too schmaltzy, either, so it worked OK.For me, Holly Hunter really stole the show. Knowing that people with Tourette's don't really behave that way didn't take anything away from her hilarious outbursts. I especially liked when she was paying the paperboy ("Say hi to your slut mom for me")Comparisons to Fargo are only valid superficially, but there can be no doubt that the writer has seen more than one Coen Bros film. This one does the same sort of genre-straddling that a lot of theirs do.The only thing that made me not give it one more star was that the ending was flat and unsatisfying, as though the makers really couldn't figure out how to finish it.