There aren’t many filmmakerswho have reshaped the comedy genreas significantly asHarold Ramis, who is responsible for many of the funniest films ever made. Although Ramis epitomized the peak of the post-Saturday Night Liveera of the 1980s with classics likeCaddyshack, Stripes,andVacation, he would continue to experiment throughout his career with the science fiction caperMultiplicityand the crime satireAnalyze This. While there have been some comedic icons whose relevance faded over time because of their inability (or unwillingness) to evolve their sense of humor, Ramis was able to continuously make bold choices that indicated how ahead of his time he was.Ramis directed the hilariously grim neo-noir comedyThe Ice Harvest, which may be one of the darkest Christmas films ever made.
What Is ‘The Ice Harvest’ About?
Based on the novel of the same name byScott Phillips,The Ice Harvestis centered on asleazy lawyer who pulls off a major heiston Christmas Eve. Charlie Arglist (John Cusack) and his partner in crime, the pornographer Vic Cavanaugh (Billy Bob Thornton), have stolen $2 million from the mob boss Bill Guerrard (Randy Quaid), but are unable to move it to safety due to an impending ice storm. After splitting the cash with Vic and agreeing to lay low, Charlie ends up running into his old crush Renata Crest (Connie Nielsen), a strip club owner who manipulates him into helping her steal compromising photos from Vic. Although Renata manages to convince Charlie to steal photos of her that have been obtained by Vic, he ends up discovering that the mob enforcer Roy Gelles (Mike Starr) has been sent to track him down. Charlie’s luck continues to get worse when he runs into his childhood friend Pete Van Heuten (Oliver Platt), who is now married to his ex-wife.
The Ice Harvestis an amusing combination of genres, as it combinesthe trappings of a noir thrillerwith the type of awkward interactions that one would expect to see in a holiday comedy. In addition to the pressure from the mob to stay out of sight, avoid danger, and wait for the storm to pass, Charlie is also forced to unpack his past when he is reminded of the various people that he let down. This served as an interesting way of humanizing Charlie, as it shows him at his most vulnerable. Cusack does a great job at balancing these two distinct tones by turning Charlie into a compelling, if somewhat detestable protagonist. Although it is obvious that he is a self-serving and flawed individual, it is hard not to sympathize with him a little bit as he is met with continued embarrassment. Given that Cusack has experience making both noir (The Grifters, City Hall) and romantic comedies (High Fidelity, Say Anything), he was the perfect choice to play the lead of the film.
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‘The Ice Harvest’ Is a Truly Depraved Dark Comedy
The Ice Harvestseems to take a twisted pleasure in tormenting its characters, yet it never feels too depraved because of how mean-spirited and selfish the characters are. Every character who would theoretically be redeemable ends up being far more manipulative than they initially appear to be; while Thornton is able to bring some rugged charisma to his performance, Vic quickly proves that he is willing to take lethal action to defend his cash. Whilesome mystery films can get too complicatedonce they start introducing too many new characters,The Ice Harvestis able to make Charlie’s plight even more haplessly absurd once he is forced to deal with the corrupt politician Councilman Williams (David Pasquesi) and the clueless Officer Tyler (T. J. Jagodowski).
The Ice Harvestshows what makes Ramis a great filmmaker, as it manages to be completely unpredictable whilst never forgetting to develop its characters. Although Charlie’s cynicism could get grating at times, the film does a great job at unpacking the series of misfortunes that shaped his negative worldview. It’s also a surprisingly sincere film that is able to address universal themes about the “holiday blues.” Although Ramis’ career sadly ended with thedisastrous spoof filmYear One, The Ice Harveststands as the last true comedic masterwork of his legendary filmography.
The Ice Harvest
