A Big Hand for the Little Lady Reviews

6 Angry Card Players

Posted : 11 years, 1 month ago on 9 April 2013 02:00

The opening of A Big Hand for the Little Lady has so much frantic build up, the scoping scenery shots as far as the eye can see with a grand western music score and for what? A game of poker; but rightfully so as this may be the best poker movie I’ll ever see. I don’t know how to play poker nor do I have any interest in cards, but it doesn’t stop me from being absorbed in this fascinating and inspired comedy.

Much humour is derived from Henry Fonda’s performance as a gambling addict who attempts to act naive and innocent in order to mask his addiction; resulting in the man becoming a ticking time bomb and the suspense which derives from watching this guy throwing his livelihood away. At one point in the film, however, it stops being entirely comic in which I start feeling sorry for how pathetic Fonda’s character has become; the effective quick switched between comedy and drama is superb. Backed by a cast of charismatic gents as they bicker and tell outlandish stories of what they abandoned in order to attend the game of poker and take the rules of poker so seriously, even when a man’s life is on the line. The only issue I would take with the film is the unnecessary remaining 10 minutes which drag along after the film’s plot has been resolved.

I’d love to see this concept of a poker game going out of control expanded upon and taken to new heights. Not a remake but the same concept in a different setting and perhaps a bit zanier, I would like to see. The sub-genre of the western comedy intrigues me. Westerns as a whole I find hit and miss but when presented in comedic form I have a much easier time caring about what’s happening on screen.

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A BIG HAND FOR THE LITTLE LADY

Posted : 15 years, 9 months ago on 20 July 2008 11:33

This is a most unusual film which on the face of it appears to be a Western but how can this be when there is no gunfight on the town's main street, no saloon fights or bar room brawls, no sheriff to keep order and put the bad guys in jail, no Indians - in fact not much action of any kind that would usually be associated with a Western film. So what is the appeal of this extraordinary film where most of the story takes place during a long drawn out card game in the back room of the town's hotel? The tension mounts as stranger in town Henry Fonda is tempted to get into the high stakes poker game with some wealthy cattlemen after he had promised his wife (Joanne Woodward) that he would give up gambling. Obviously, he does join the game and is convinced that he has been dealt a hand that can't lose but the other players in the game also have good hands that each one feels could be the winner. Who is bluffing who? Can Fonda risk losing all the family savings of his wife and young son? Will the stakes go too high for Fonda to stay in the game? Can wife Joanne Woodward persuade Fonda to see sense and walk away? Surprise is piled upon surprise as the game progresses and the final twist is a beauty! What holds your interest is the finely plotted screenplay written by Sidney Carroll and magnificent acting from the entire cast. Henry Fonda and Joanne Woodward are wonderful in the lead roles and are admirably supported by a fantastic cast including Jason Robards Jr, Charles Bickford, Kevin McCarthy, Burgess Meredith, Robert Middleton and Paul Ford. Competently directed by Fielder Cook it grips your attention throughout and then packs a totally unexpected surprise ending that will delight you! Upon release in the U.K. the title was changed to "Big Deal in Dodge City".
Favourite lines:
Henry Fonda (to Joanne Woodward): "I got a hand of cards here comes once in a lifetime".
Woodward (to card players): "How do you play this game?".
Paul Ford (to Woodward): "Nobody sees those cards but you and C. P. Ballinger".

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