Starring: John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Connie Nielsen, Randy Quaid, Oliver Platt, Ned Bellamy, Mike Starr, T.J. Jagodowski, David Pasquesi
Review: When a shady lawyer (John Cusack) attempts to steal money from the mob on Christmas Eve, he and his partner (Billy Bob Thornton) need to lay low until an ice storm passes before they can get out of town. Based on novel by Scott Phillips, 'The Ice Harvest' is a dark comedy, a very, very dark comedy. Director Harold Ramis (yes, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, National Lampoon's Vacation - that Harold Ramis) has made a hilariously dark crime thriller that has become a staple for my holiday viewing. I love this movie! The characters are unsavory, slimy and morally reprehensible. The subject matter of blackmail, sex, murder, revenge, and double-crossing, are enough to turn some viewers off. The trailer makes it out to be a caper comedy, which it is, but it's tone is something of an acquired taste. It's definitely a slower-paced film-noir movie with a huge helping of startling violence, revelations, and twists that will keep you wondering how things will end. I can't recommend this one enough. But remember, with 'The Ice Harvest', all is not bright on Christmas.