Thin Ice (2011)
"The Convincer" (original title)

An insurance agent looking for a way out of frigid Wisconsin is blackmailed by an unstable locksmith in the theft of a rare violin that belongs to a retired farmer.

Director:

Jill Sprecher

Writers:

Jill Sprecher, Karen Sprecher

Stars:

Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Lea Thompson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Greg Kinnear	...	Mickey Prohaska
John Paul Gamoke	...	Man at Coffee Shop
David Harbour	...	Bob Egan
Jennifer Edwards-Hughes	...	Sherri (as Jennifer M. Edwards)
Scott Crouch	...	Casino Emcee
Peter Moore	...	Phil Peters
Michelle Hutchison	...	Judy Vandenhoevel
James Detmar	...	Glen Vandenhoevel
Michael Paul Levin	...	Chuck Stankel
Kathryn Lawrey	...	Hotel Clerk
Joe Minjares	...	Hotel Manager
Michelle Arthur	...	Karla Gruenke
Peter Thoemke	...	Frank Richie
Alan Arkin	...	Gorvy Hauer
Lea Thompson	...	Jo Ann Prohaska

Storyline

An insurance agent looking for a way out of frigid Wisconsin is blackmailed by an unstable locksmith in the theft of a rare violin that belongs to a retired farmer.

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Plot Keywords:

salesman | title directed by female

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Taglines:

Greetings from Kenosha, WI! Where ordinary folks can make a killing.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, and brief violent and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

ATO Pictures [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 January 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Thin Ice

Filming Locations:

Stillwater, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$183,527 (USA) (17 February 2012)

Gross:

$789,752 (USA) (18 May 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ATO Pictures, Werc Werk Works, Spare Room Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The violin shop featured in the film, Dahl Violins, is an actual violin shop in downtown Minneapolis. In the film, the shop is supposed to be located in Chicago. However, when Mickey and Randy break into the shop at night, the skyline which is prominently featured in the scene's initial shot is obviously Minneapolis, not Chicago.

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Soundtracks

"Leave Our Worries"
Written by Christopher A. Corley and Jon D'Agostino
Performed by Serendipity
Published by Astonishing Music (BMI) /
Music Expressions ASCAP
Courtesy of Crucial Music

User Reviews

Pretty Good

Insurance agent Mickey (Greg Kinnear) is blackmailed by Locksmith Randy (Billy Crudup) over the theft of a valuable violin owned by Gorvy Hauer (Alan Arkin).

The movie setting is winter in Wisconsin and although we see some ice and snow from time to time, we wished there were more wintry scenes. You see, they kind of help cool us when we are watching this in the summer heat wave we have now. Bummer.

Returning to our story, we see that Mickey is in debt and is willing to steal Gorvy's violin as Gorvy isn't aware of the true value. Enter Randy and the cover-up begins, but both are surprised by a neighbor who feels something isn't right and threatens to call the police. What to do? What to do?

That is as far as I will go because the rest is complicated. We like Mickey and hope he can find a way to make things right. However, because most of this happens in the beginning, we see that there is a lot more story (read movie) to go and things get even more complicated and go progressively worse for Mickey. Okay, okay, I went a little further but, we see there is enough time for Mickey to make things right. That is our hope.

There are many twists and turns in here and you need to keep up. We keep rooting for Mickey, but things go further and further south for him. Greg Kinnear plays Mickey to perfection. We feel his pain even though he did something wrong. The acting performances of the rest of the cast are perfect, but it is Mickey we care about and he needs to find a way out of the mess he helped create. We can only hope

We see Randy as a normal person, but when he gets surprised by something that doesn't go right, he loses it big time for a while and then he reverts back to being quiet and normal again. This happens 2-times in the movie. I guess this is the comic relief within. Pretty good though. Kind of reminds us of William H. Macy in FARGO when he beats the hell out of his vehicle when his plans are upset. These temper tantrums are great scenes. Kudos.

The key to the whole movie is Arkin's Gorvy, who is naïve and agreeable to insurance suggestions by Mickey's new agent hire, Bob (David Harbour). Alan Arkin is becoming a real acting treasure in his later years and we like his screen presence. Okay, okay, the real key to the movie is Mickey and his greed. You will see why. Okay? Tough room.

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.