Out of the Cold (1999) from Tuna

Out of the Cold (1999) is the story of an American dancer whose career is faltering mostly due to his drinking, who is given a chance to go to Estonia where his family immigrated from, and appear in a relative's nightclub. 
It is the mid 30's, and the Russian occupation of the Baltic states is the backdrop to a love story. The dancer, Keith Carradine, falls in love with Mia Kirshner, an aristocrat well above his social station. She escapes to America, but he is arrested, his passport burned, and is sent to a Siberian work camp. The story is told in flash-backs as he is trying to get permission to leave the country.  

NUDITY REPORT
none

DVD info from Amazon.

bare bones
An IMDB reader from Estonia comments that the film is a very accurate  portrayal of what happened in Estonia under Russian occupation. Another comments that the main characters are not that engaging. I would agree on  both points. Attempts at humor largely fall flat, and the romantic portion  isn't especially compelling.  

The Critics Vote

  • no reviews online

The People Vote ...

  • With their votes ... IMDB summary: IMDb voters score it 8.1, but that is based on only 15 votes, and appears to be ballot stuffing.
IMDb guideline: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence, about like three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, about like two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, about like two stars from the critics. Films under five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film, equivalent to about one and a half stars from the critics or less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well.

Based on this description, this film is a C-.

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