There aren’t many filmmakers who’ve reshaped the comedy style as considerably as Harold Ramis, who’s chargeable for lots of the funniest movies ever made. Though Ramis epitomized the height of the post-Saturday Night time Dwell period of the Nineteen Eighties with classics like Caddyshack, Stripes, and Trip, he would proceed to experiment all through his profession with the science fiction caper Multiplicity and the crime satire Analyze This. Whereas there have been some comedic icons whose relevance pale over time due to their lack of ability (or unwillingness) to evolve their humorousness, Ramis was capable of constantly make daring decisions that indicated how forward of his time he was. Ramis directed the hilariously grim neo-noir comedy The Ice Harvest, which can be one of many darkest Christmas movies ever made.

What Is ‘The Ice Harvest’ About?

Primarily based on the novel of the identical title by Scott Phillips, The Ice Harvest is centered on a sleazy lawyer who pulls off a serious heist on Christmas Eve. Charlie Arglist (John Cusack) and his accomplice in crime, the pornographer Vic Cavanaugh (Billy Bob Thornton), have stolen $2 million from the mob boss Invoice Guerrard (Randy Quaid), however are unable to maneuver it to security as a result of an impending ice storm. After splitting the money with Vic and agreeing to put low, Charlie finally ends up working into his previous crush Renata Crest (Connie Nielsen), a strip membership proprietor who manipulates him into serving to her steal compromising images from Vic. Though Renata manages to persuade Charlie to steal images of her which were obtained by Vic, he finally ends up discovering that the mob enforcer Roy Gelles (Mike Starr) has been despatched to trace him down. Charlie’s luck continues to worsen when he runs into his childhood good friend Pete Van Heuten (Oliver Platt), who’s now married to his ex-wife.

The Ice Harvest is an amusing mixture of genres, because it combines the trimmings of a noir thriller with the kind of awkward interactions that one would count on to see in a vacation comedy. Along with the stress from the mob to remain out of sight, keep away from hazard, and look forward to the storm to go, Charlie can be pressured to unpack his previous when he’s reminded of the assorted people who he let down. This served as an attention-grabbing approach of humanizing Charlie, because it exhibits him at his most weak. Cusack does a terrific job at balancing these two distinct tones by turning Charlie right into a compelling, if considerably detestable protagonist. Though it’s apparent that he’s a self-serving and flawed particular person, it’s exhausting to not sympathize with him just a little bit as he’s met with continued embarrassment. Provided that Cusack has expertise making each noir (The Grifters, Metropolis Corridor) and romantic comedies (Excessive Constancy, Say Something), he was the proper option to play the lead of the movie.

‘The Ice Harvest’ Is a Actually Wicked Darkish Comedy

The Ice Harvest appears to take a twisted pleasure in tormenting its characters, but it by no means feels too wicked due to how mean-spirited and egocentric the characters are. Each character who would theoretically be redeemable finally ends up being much more manipulative than they initially look like; whereas Thornton is ready to convey some rugged charisma to his efficiency, Vic rapidly proves that he’s keen to take deadly motion to defend his money. Whereas some thriller movies can get too difficult as soon as they begin introducing too many new characters, The Ice Harvest is ready to make Charlie’s plight much more haplessly absurd as soon as he’s pressured to take care of the corrupt politician Councilman Williams (David Pasquesi) and the clueless Officer Tyler (T. J. Jagodowski).

The Ice Harvest exhibits what makes Ramis a terrific filmmaker, because it manages to be utterly unpredictable while by no means forgetting to develop its characters. Though Charlie’s cynicism might get grating at instances, the movie does a terrific job at unpacking the collection of misfortunes that formed his destructive worldview. It’s additionally a surprisingly honest movie that is ready to handle common themes in regards to the “vacation blues.” Though Ramis’ profession sadly ended with the disastrous spoof movie Yr One, The Ice Harvest stands because the final true comedic masterwork of his legendary filmography.