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''The Ice Harvest'' is a 2005 American
neo-noir Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...
black comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the olde ...
directed by
Harold Ramis Harold Allen Ramis (; November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014) was an American actor, comedian, director and writer. His best-known film acting roles were as Egon Spengler in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984) and '' Ghostbusters II'' (1989), and as Russel ...
, written by
Richard Russo Richard Russo (July 15, 1949) is an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and teacher. Early life and education Russo was born in Johnstown, New York, and raised in nearby Gloversville. He earned a bachelor's degree, a Master o ...
and
Robert Benton Robert Douglas Benton (born September 29, 1932) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the writer and director of the film ''Kramer vs. Kramer'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Adapted S ...
, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Scott Phillips and starring
John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his ol ...
,
Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller ''One False Move'', and received international attention after writing, directing, a ...
, and
Connie Nielsen Connie Inge-Lise Nielsen (born 3 July 1965) is a Danish actress. She has starred as Lucilla in the film '' Gladiator'' (2000) and as Hippolyta in the DC Extended Universe, and in the films ''Wonder Woman'' (2017), ''Justice League'' (2017), ''Wo ...
, with
Randy Quaid Randy Randall Rudy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor known for his roles in both serious drama and light comedy. He was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in ''The Last Detail'' i ...
and
Oliver Platt Oliver Platt (born January 12, 1960) is a Canadian-born American actor. He is known for his starring roles in many films such as ''Flatliners'' (1990), ''Beethoven'' (1992), ''Indecent Proposal'', ''The Three Musketeers'' (both 1993), ''Executiv ...
in supporting roles. It was distributed by
Focus Features Focus Features LLC is an American film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as part of Universal Pictures, a division of its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and foreign films in th ...
, and it was released on VHS and
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
on February 28, 2006, making it the last Focus Features film released on VHS format. ''The Ice Harvest'' grossed $10.2 million worldwide.


Plot

On
Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
in
Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...
, mob lawyer Charlie Arglist and pornographer Vic Cavanaugh prepare to leave town after stealing $2 million from their boss, mobster Bill Guerrard. However, icy roads means their getaway is postponed. Vic holds the cash when they split up, biding their time until the roads clear. Charlie visits Sweet Cage, a local strip-club owned by Vic and run by Renata Crest, a woman whom Charlie has long lusted after. She quickly deduces he is hiding something. Charlie hints at the money, and she suggests they run away together. Taking advantage of the perceived situation, Renata asks Charlie to steal an incriminating photo of herself and a local politician from Vic. After talking to his friend Sidney, a bartender and bouncer at Sweet Cage, Charlie goes to another strip club owned by Vic, the Tease-O-Rama, and takes the photo from a safe. Before he can leave, Roy Gelles, one of Guerrard's enforcers, arrives looking for Charlie. Charlie hides in the men's restroom as Gelles enters. Roy reads aloud a limerick written in red sharpie on the wall above the urinal, "As Wichita falls, so falls Wichita Falls". After evading Gelles, Charlie goes to a local restaurant/bar, running into his friend Pete, who is married to Charlie's ex-wife Sarabeth. Pete is very drunk, and decides to tag along with Charlie for as long as it takes to pass out. Charlie calls Vic from a pay phone, seeing the same red Sharpie limerick above the phone. He frantically tells Vic that Gelles is in town, but Vic dismisses this, as Gelles has family in Wichita. Charlie returns to Sweet Cage and gives Renata the photo. She tells him that Vic had called to warn Charlie that Roy Gelles was indeed tailing them. Charlie takes Pete home only for Pete to vomit in Charlie's car and then pass out on the living room floor. Charlie then "borrows" a Mercedes Benz that Pete bought for Sarabeth, and goes to Vic's home. He finds Vic's wife next to their Christmas tree shot in the head. Vic arrives and reveals that he's locked Roy in a large trunk. They take Roy and Vic's wife in the Mercedes and drive to a local lake, while Roy continues yelling at them from the trunk, claiming that it was Vic who shot his wife. Vic gets annoyed and shoots the trunk, silencing him. As Charlie and Vic get the trunk onto the lake dock, it's shot open from the inside by Gelles, with Vic being shot in the process. After Gelles gets out of the trunk a standoff ends with Roy dead and Vic falling into the frozen lake as the dock collapses. Charlie realizes that Vic was going to kill him, so he drags Vic's wife to the collapsed dock and slides her into the lake, knocking the pleading Vic underwater. When Charlie discovers the money isn't in Vic's bag, he runs back to the dock to save Vic, but he has already gone under in the freezing water, entwined with his dead wife. Returning to Sweet Cage, Charlie finds that Guerrard himself has come to town, and has tied up Renata. A struggle ensues, ending with Guerrard's death. Charlie and Renata go back to her place, where he finds the money hidden in her closet while Renata showers. Via flashbacks, it is revealed that Vic and Renata planned to run away together after killing Charlie. Charlie shoots her before she can cut his throat with a hidden straight razor. As Charlie is driving out of town with the money, he sees Sidney on the side of the road with his kids in a motor home, and Charlie stops to offer assistance. Sidney says that he is out of gas, so Charlie lets him syphon some out of the "borrowed" Mercedes. As Sidney is trying to restart the RV, Charlie takes out a red Sharpie and writes "As Wichita falls, so falls Wichita Falls" on the back of the motor home, revealing it was Charlie who had been writing the limerick all over town. Sidney gets the motor home started, and after accidentally knocking Charlie down when the RV lurches backwards, he drives away. Charlie gets up and returns to the "borrowed" Mercedes. Pete wakes up in the back seat, and the duo drive away together for warmer weather.


Cast

*
John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his ol ...
as Charlie Arglist *
Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller ''One False Move'', and received international attention after writing, directing, a ...
as Vincent 'Vic' Cavanaugh *
Connie Nielsen Connie Inge-Lise Nielsen (born 3 July 1965) is a Danish actress. She has starred as Lucilla in the film '' Gladiator'' (2000) and as Hippolyta in the DC Extended Universe, and in the films ''Wonder Woman'' (2017), ''Justice League'' (2017), ''Wo ...
as Renata Crest *
Randy Quaid Randy Randall Rudy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor known for his roles in both serious drama and light comedy. He was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in ''The Last Detail'' i ...
as Bill Guerrard *
Oliver Platt Oliver Platt (born January 12, 1960) is a Canadian-born American actor. He is known for his starring roles in many films such as ''Flatliners'' (1990), ''Beethoven'' (1992), ''Indecent Proposal'', ''The Three Musketeers'' (both 1993), ''Executiv ...
as Pete Van Heuten * Mike Starr as Roy Gelles *
Ned Bellamy Ned Bellamy (born May 7, 1957) is an American actor. Early life and education Bellamy was educated at UCLA. His brother, Mark Bellamy, was the United States Ambassador to Kenya from 2003 until 2006. Career After graduating from UCLA, Bellamy ...
as Sidney * T.J. Jagodowski as Officer Tyler *
David Pasquesi David Pasquesi (born December 22, 1960) is an American actor and comedian. His screen credits include ''Groundhog Day'', ''Strangers with Candy'', ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', ''Return to Me'', '' The Ice Harvest'', ''Veep'', ''At Home with Amy Sed ...
as Councilman Williams


Production

Frequent
Harold Ramis Harold Allen Ramis (; November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014) was an American actor, comedian, director and writer. His best-known film acting roles were as Egon Spengler in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984) and '' Ghostbusters II'' (1989), and as Russel ...
collaborator
Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan delivery. He rose to fame on ''The National Lampoon Radio Hour'' (1973–1974) before becoming a national presence on ''Saturday Nigh ...
was reportedly offered a role.
Monica Bellucci Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (; born 30 September 1964) is an Italian actress and model. She began her career as a fashion model, modelling for Dolce & Gabbana and Dior, before making a transition to Italian films and later American and French ...
was originally set to play the role of Renata, but had to leave due to her pregnancy. Ramis almost had to close production for a day due to the weather, which would have spoiled his tradition of never losing a shooting day. Filming took place in the suburbs of
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
. The DVD 'extras' consist of: * Alternate ending, number 1: has Charlie getting injured when Ned backs into him, then eventually walking away into an empty field. * Alternate ending, number 2: also has Charlie getting injured when Ned backs into him, but as he lays there, he recalls a day in Renata’s bar with Vic, when Vic asks Renata if she ever performs nude for her customers, as Charlie is curious. Renata asks Charlie if that’s what he wants, and he replies, ‘Gosh, only if ''you'' want to.’ She admonishes them to go home, but they talk a bit, and then Charlie pitches his ‘idea’ to Vic. Charlie is then back in the present, walking away into the empty field. * A short outtake performed by Thornton in his ''
Sling Blade A sling blade or kaiser blade is a heavy, hooked, steel blade at the end of a long (around ) handle that is usually made of wood. The blade is double-edged, and both sides are usually kept sharp. It is used to cut brush, briar, and undergrowth. ...
'' character 'Karl Childers' persona (voice), to the amusement and laughter of the assembled cast and crew. * A 17-minute featurette about the film, with author Phillips and screenwriters Russo and Benton. * A 13-minute featurette about the film, with the principal cast, director, and producers, about the character's motivations and personalities, Ramis’s reasons for using Chicago (his home town) suburb locations to represent Wichita, the film noir aspects of the picture, and cinematographer Kivilo’s choice of colors used and captured on film. * A 6-minute featurette about the lake/dock scene – how it was constructed and filmed and what and how special effects were used, including using paraffin to represent ice. * Director’s commentary.


Reception

''The Ice Harvest'' opened in 1,550 theaters in North America and grossed $3.7 million, averaging $2,413 per theater and ranking 10th at the box office. The film ultimately earned $9 million in the US and $1.1 million internationally for a total of $10.2 million. The film has a rating of 47% on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
based on 134 reviews and an average rating of 5.50/10. The consensus states: "''The Ice Harvest'' offers a couple of laughs, but considering the people involved, it should be a lot funnier." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a score of 62 out of 100 based on 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
James Berardinelli James Berardinelli (born September 25, 1967) is an American film critic and former engineer. His reviews are mainly published on his blog ''ReelViews.'' Approved as a critic by the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, he has published two collections of r ...
of ''Reelviews'' gave the film 2 and a half stars out of four, saying, "Despite its brevity, it seems padded, with all sorts of irrelevant scenes and dead-end subplots taking up time. ..Next time, Ramis should work to his strengths, and film noir isn't one of them. The Ice Harvest will have melted away long before the turkey leftovers are polished off."
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and said: "I liked the movie for the quirky way it pursues humor through the drifts of greed, lust, booze, betrayal and spectacularly complicated ways to die. I liked it for Charlie's essential kindness, as when he pauses during a getaway to help a friend who has run out of gas. And for the scene-stealing pathos of Oliver Platt's drunk, who like many drunks in the legal profession achieves a rhetorical grandiosity during the final approach to oblivion. And I liked especially the way Roy, the man in the trunk, keeps on thinking positively, even after Vic puts bullets through both ends of the trunk because he can't remember which end of the trunk Roy's head is at. Maybe it's in the middle."


See also

*
List of Christmas films Many Christmas stories have been adapted to feature films and TV specials, and have been broadcast and repeated many times on television; since the popularization of home video in the 1980s, their many editions are sold and re-sold every year d ...


References


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ice Harvest, The 2005 films 2000s Christmas films American black comedy films American crime comedy films American Christmas films American buddy films Films set in Kansas Films shot in Illinois Focus Features films American neo-noir films American crime comedy-drama films Films directed by Harold Ramis Films scored by David Kitay Films with screenplays by Robert Benton 2000s English-language films 2000s American films Films about alcoholism