JACKPOT MOVIE REVIEWS: Thin Ice

Thin Ice is a dark comedy written by sisters Jill and Karen Sprecher, and directed by Jill. Although the Sprecher sisters have claimed that this is not "their" film, that did not stop me from enjoying it. The film is a rolicking comedy about unlikable insurance agent Mickey (Greg Kinnear). He is divorced from his wife (Lea Thompson) who works with him, and their last decision together was not to tell everyone in the office they are no longer together. One day, Mickey is inspecting the house of Gorvy (Alan Arkin), an old man whom he has convinced to buy an insurance plan. That's when Mickey finds out Gorvy unwittingly has a very valuable violin. When Mickey tries to switch the expensive violin for a cheap replica, security man Randy (Billy Crudup) kills a certain someone who I choose not to give away, and blackmails Mickey to do what he wants in exchange for Mickey not going to jail.

Say what you will about this film (it is, after all, for acquired tastes), but Thin Ice sucked me in from the first line, which involves a speech by Kinnear about communication. By far the best thing about the film, though, is the acting. Kinnear, always the affable actor, plays an utterly reprehensible character here, and it gets to showing that Kinnear's versatility. Also, Crudup who has proved to be a phenomenal actor in such films as Almost Famous, Watchmen and Big Fish, gives yet another standout performance. Randy is a character who you can't really root for, but you can't really root against. He is giving a despicable guy his comeuppance while he himself is a terrible person. Crudup is especially good here because he makes you see the good in Randy, while still managing to be quite evil. I also liked the supporting cast, including Arkin, Thompson and David Harbour as Kinnear's hopelessly incompetent assistant.

The film can not be reviewed, however, without giving my opinion on the twist. While this twist is going to anger many viewers, there are also going to be people like myself who thinks the twist is great. The twist, which some will label a cop-out -- if not lame altogether -- is in my opinion one of the best twist endings I've ever seen. Simply put, if you are looking for a twist in the form of The Usual Suspects, you are going to be sadly disappointed. If you're looking for a weird and wacky surprise, expect to be delighted at This Ice's ending.

The Sprecher sisters, who previously did the light office comedy Clockwatchers, and the drama Thirteen Conversations About One Thing go into dark comedy territory, and do very well. Both Clockwatchers and Thirteen Conversations were films I loved. Those dealt with more realistic views on the world. Thin Ice borders on farce. The Sprechers here have made something more akin to The Coen Brothers, and do a very nice job at it. Thin Ice is a very fun time at the movies if you're looking for something different from the Sprecher sisters.

4 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars

(The film is rated R for language and brief violent and sexual content)