'Ice Harvest'

Cracks Through Holiday-Season Humor

 Kevin L. Mayer, co-news editor

In their third movie together, the duo of John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton tell a one-of-a-kind story in the early holiday release, “Ice Harvest”.

Charlie Arglist, played by Cusack, is a mob lawyer in the town of Wichita, Kan. Down on his luck and giving away his holiday spirit, Charlie Arglist teams up with porn mogul “Vic” Cavanaugh, played by Billy Bob Thornton, in an attempt at a holiday heist. Charlie and Vic decide to steal $2 million from the richest man they know. The mark just happens to be their boss and Kansas mafia boss, the “top-dog” himself Bill Guerrard, played in excellent fashion by Randy Quaid.

The entire story takes place on Christmas Eve, and allows director Harold Ramis to fill the story with an ironic family atmosphere. It is told so well you forget about the dark comedy of the movie as you are teased with the irony and humorous dialog of the film.

One of the more interesting scenes of “Ice Harvest” is a Christmas Eve dinner at Charlie’s ex-wife’s house. She so happens to be married to his best friend Pete. Pete Van Heuten, played by Oliver Platt, may come off as a drunk, but it’s Christmas Eve. You can assume for yourself if he is or not, but during the length of the film, his character is either drunk, getting drunk, or about too.

In this helpless dinner scene, Charlie and Pete walk in the house as Charlie’s two young kids, Pete’s wife (Charlie’s ex-wife) and her parents are in the middle of their meal. As the wife ignores Pete and wishes Charlie Merry Christmas, Pete sits down at the table, obviously drunk, and grabs a turkey leg, only to rip it off the turkey while still wearing his winter gloves. Then the fun begins as the kids yell at Charlie, and the father-in-law yells at Pete. With great sarcastic dark humor, this scene is by far one of the best of the movie.

As a reoccurring proverb is read and re-read throughout the movie, you try to figure out what it means. But I think it is just funny dialog, relating to nothing in particular. The saying goes, “As Wichita falls, so falls Wichita Falls.”

Rated R for its violence and language, it will take a very dry sense of humor to get many of the jokes. This is defiantly not a movie intended for children or any age. Although it might not be Cusack’s best film, it is the best film that Cusack and Thornton have done together. For everyone wanting a movie rating based on the star system, I will give it 4½ jalapeños out of 5. This is a must-see movie over the holiday season, just to show the insane side of the season, if anything. I enjoyed this movie because you can find out how the good guy does finish.