Choke

Posted on: 4th December 2008  |

Director: Clark Gregg
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly MacDonald
UK Release date: 21 November 2008
Certificate: 18 (89 mins)

It has been nine years since cinema-goers were blown away not only by Brad Pitt’s mighty fine torso, but also the rest of the mighty fine Fight Club. Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, the film was such a success that the rights to his next book, Choke, were bought before the writing of it was even complete. So, fast-forward almost a decade and here you have it, the follow up to cult classic Fight Club. Although there is no Brad Pitt this time round, Sam Rockwell (leading man on the up) seems more than capable of filling his shoes.

Rockwell plays Victor Mancini, a sex addict whose mother (Anjelica Huston) is slowly mentally deteriorating due to Alzheimer’s. As well as being “a re-enactor of life in colonial America”, Victor makes extra money to pay the hospital bills by pretending to choke in restaurants, then getting the people who save him to give him money.

So far, so bizarre. Things become even stranger when Victor meets Paige Marshall (Kelly MacDonald), one of the hospital’s doctors. She tells him that a new stem cell technique may be able to save his mother from her condition but they (Victor and Paige) will have to have a baby together to get the correct DNA. By the time we reach the part about the fact that Victor may have been conceived using DNA from Jesus’ foreskin, we are past asking questions about the bizarre twists and turns this film takes.

Although the storyline is comprised the purely farcical, for some reason Choke on the whole, works. This is due largely to the fact that Victor, despite some of his more unsavoury character traits, is actually a likeable kinda guy. Rockwell plays him with a certain amount of anarchy but with an equal amount of charm and heart (Brad Pitt is certainly not missed). Yes, he may have had sex with every nurse and a few of the elderly patients at the hospital, but he is devoted to his mother and makes regular visits to her even though she doesn’t know it’s him. In fact although she is clearly portrayed as the root of most of his problems, Victor’s relationship with his mother is shown not to be full of resentment and dislike but instead one of love and acceptance.

There is no denying that in parts Choke is a highly amusing film that fans of pitch black comedy will love. However, while some may find it funny, other viewers may find the film takes serious issues and treats them flippantly in order to get a few cheap laughs. The fact that Victor’s mother has Alzheimer’s is never given much emotional time on screen, it more just serves a purpose. In fact, other than not being able to get information out of her, Victor never seems too bothered about his mother’s deteriorating mind.

Victor not knowing his real father is another subject handled like this. He never seems to find it upsetting, more simply annoying. And though it is one of the key parts of the film, sex is viewed in a very cynical light, almost as a way to escape from a person rather than to relate to them.

All this said, irreverent is just the kind of film that Choke is. Some aspects of this film will certainly not appeal to all; if you prefer your cinema trips to be a bit more on the straight and narrow then it might be best to give Choke a miss. If you do go to see Choke, don’t be surprised if you leave the cinema feeling slightly guilty, maybe even a bit sleazy. But like reading a tabloid newspaper, it may just be a lot of fun too.



Charlotte Bateson-Hill



 Visit this film's official web site



 

CHOKE - Official Trailer - Available on DVD February 17th!

Search

Type any words in the box below to search Thinking Faith for content containing those words, or tick the ‘author’ box and type in the name of any Thinking Faith author to find all of his or her articles and reviews. You can also narrow your search by selecting a category from the dropdown menu.