Written for The StageFor eight long months, Oscar-winning screenwriter Chester James has been manning an emergency food reserve 1,000 miles south of the North Pole.
Alone and paralysed by writer’s block, James awaits the inspiration to repeat the success of his debut film, The Nullarbor Gunslinger, living “groundhog day for dicks” and whittling time away in conversation with an inflatable reindeer head and other constructs of his imagination.
Although amusing throughout, A Fistful of Snow serves little purpose beyond providing a vehicle for Danny Alder. While it showcases his gentle flair for surreal humour, the script (co-written with Chris Hislop) feels like a series of pre-existent skits knitted loosely together. Flashbacks and flights of fancy take over, impeding the possibility of really interrogating James’ solitary situation. Darker elements and desperation are too easily glossed over.
That said, the light-hearted material makes for an enjoyable hour and there is a certain charm about Alder. More likeable than charismatic, he gets an audience completely onside, such that it doesn’t much matter that laughs are gentle ripples more often than bursting explosions.
All in all, A Fistful of Snow is a shaggy but pleasing distraction slightly let down by its lack of punch.
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