Out Cold

source: Out Cold

Out Cold

I agree that this movie is underrated. The cast is perfect for the material, and it has a clever story with lots of surprises along the way. My only complaint is that it's too short, and that it could have maybe gone a little further with the dark humor. It seems to hold back and play it safe a lot of the time. Other than that it's a great movie!

*********Minor spoiler contained below********* This is easily one of my favorite ten movies. The deadpan performances witty and quips between characters (the scene where Lester Atlas visits Dave at the butcher shop while he's trying to `dispose' of a corpse is absolutely hilarious!) are what make this movie shine. However, this kind of morbid humor is not for everyone, but to those of us who enjoy this brand of sick humor, enjoy! "Out Cold" definitely deserves more credit than it's been given, and if you give it a chance, it won't disappoint you. My Rating: Ten stars out of ten. P.S. If you enjoyed Randy Quaid in "Out Cold", you might enjoy him in the even lesser-known film entitled "Parents". You are warned, though. `Parents' isn't a comedy; it's a very disturbing satirical look at American consumerism in the 1950's. However, it is ones of the few chances where you get a chance to see how good of an actor Randy Quaid actually is.

The plot of "Out Cold" could have made a movie as funny as the 1950's era Alec Guinness/Ealing Studios comedies. But something didn't click for me in the way "Out Cold" was filmed. Most notably, the music was way off. Music and sound effects was a big part of the Guinness comedies. But in addition to the poor music choices and lack of comic sound effects, there were stretches that didn't seem to accomplish anything except take up time. There is a twist at the end of "Out Cold" that is left for the viewer to interpret. Was Dave (John Lithgow) not the bumbling naif he seemed to be?

Delightful comedy with a fine edge for character study and subtle plays in narration, "Out Cold" looks like Edward Hopper paintings transposed into a playful movie. The Hopper like iconography blends with skillful comic acting, tight scripting, and thoughtful editing to create an utterly delightful film. Director Malcolm Mowbray deftly handles George Marko and Leonard Glasser's droll writing. Teri Garr, Randy Quaid, and John Lithgow play off each other with precision and charm. Some of the music sounds a bit too cute, but most of the soundtrack enhances the mood and narrative. I wonder how I missed it at first release. I missed a treasure. There is not a false step here.

Strangely panned by many critics yet this is actually a funny, black comedy about small-time accidents, coincidences, misunderstandings, failed scheming and murder amongst friends and spouses that has a lot more wit than the overrated Blood Simple. The plot is tight, the humor is delightfully droll and the next-door type characters are well-drawn and fun to watch despite their nastiness, simply because of the blackly amusing circumstances they find themselves in. This did not deserve to become so obscure. Re-issue it on DVD please.

Low-budget dark comedy that goes in all directions yet does an early fade. Ex-Army buddies-turned-butcher shop partners argue over family business and one of them ends up dead; the first butcher mistakenly thinks he himself is the murderer...until his partner's widow starts acting suspiciously. Barely-released picture with a terrific cast does show spirit and promise; it has a quirky edge that is sometimes playful and sometimes prickly, but unfortunately nobody seems able to keep this movie on track, and the plot bursts like a balloon leaving nothing but dead space in the final third. The performers are very good, particularly John Lithgow and Bruce McGill, but the players, the direction and the script are not in synch. ** from ****