First Snow

Would-be thriller whiteouts suspense

By Geoff Berkshire

April 6, 2007

 
Critic's Rating:
2

A scene from the film "First Snow."
Photos:
A scene from the film "First Snow." A scene from the film "First Snow." A scene from the film "First Snow." A scene from the film "First Snow."
First Snow
Running time:
101 minutes
Rated:
R
Cast:
Guy Pearce -
Jimmy
Piper Perabo -
Deirdre
William Fichtner -
Ed
J.K. Simmons -
Vacaro
Shea Whigham -
Vincent
See full cast
Director:
Mark Fergus
Genre:
Drama
Official Movie Web Site:
http://www.firstsnowthemovie.com/
Movie Trailer:
View Trailer
Overall User Rating:
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"First Snow" tackles big themes of fate and free will, but does so in such a low-key manner that this would-be thriller winds up more sleepy than suspenseful.

Guy Pearce ("Memento") stars in the modest indie as Jimmy, a minor league flooring salesman who is momentarily stranded in nowheresville, New Mexico, during a routine workday. To kill time he stops in to see a fortune-teller (J.K. Simmons, the loud-mouthed editor from "Spider-Man" nicely playing against type). Although initially skeptical, Jimmy begins to believe the man, which sends him into a paranoid spiral when the seer predicts impending death. Specifically, Jimmy is fated to die before the season's first snow.

Though Pearce's performance doesn't enliven the film, it's hard to fault the actor when he's saddled with such a lame character. Jimmy investigates several possibilities (people, like an ex-con buddy, and behavior—he immediately gets a check-up) that might lead to his death, but the tension never rises.

Although the film is competently made, director Mark Fergus and his co-writer Hawk Ostby (who were among several credited writers on "Children of Men") fail to bring any color to the story's characters or themes. Not even the attempts to flesh out Jimmy's personal life with a girlfriend (Piper Perabo, "Coyote Ugly") and best friend (William Fichtner, TV's "Prison Break") provide a reason to invest in his fate.

While Jimmy anxiously awaits the first snow, audiences will eagerly await the end credits.

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