It’s funny how movies come and go. Movies that aren’t universally embraced by critics fall off the face of the earth. That’s the case with Out Cold starring Teri Garr and John Lithgow. The movie was released in 1989, but soon everyone forgot about it. Had it not been for Showtime, I wouldn’t have seen this excellent gem of a movie.
The movie involved two partners in a butcher business , John Lithgow and the great character actor Bruce McGill. McGill is the more relaxed partner that hits on every female customer that enters the store. This is a problem since he’s married to Teri Garr. Well, problem might be too strong of a word since Garr is also having an affair. Garr decides she’s had enough and consults with a detective concerning a divorce. The detective is played by Randy Quaid, and he brings a great edge to his role.
One night Lithgow and McGill are screwing around in the shop running football plays. Things get physical and Lithgow hits McGill and knocks him to the floor of the freezer. Lithgow considers leaving his friend locked in the freezer, but decides against it. After Lithgow leaves Garr enters the store to confront McGill, which ends up with a McGill popscicle the next morning.
Lithgow, believing his actions led to the death of his friend, explains the situation to Garr who uses this fact to get Lithgow to cover up the crime. Unbeknownst to Garr, Quaid has photographs of her entering the butcher store the night of the murder.
The movie runs quickly from this point with Garr and Lithgow figuring out how to cover the death of McGill and someone else. The conclusion is, well, interesting. I saw it coming, so if you paid attention to the early part of the movie you could figure it out.
Who should watch this movie? Everyone should watch this dark comedy. I wouldn’t suggest anyone under 10, but the R rating was way too much. Even now, after having just watched the movie, I couldn’t tell you why it’s rated R. I guess subject matter.