This
was the review I gave to ICC's Newspaper The Harbinger. Unless I'm
writing a new review, I don't want to stick to my "Rough Draft" moniker.
As long as MySpace still exist, you can check out my rough, uncensored
review at http://myspace.com/inimitablerc
Hope you enjoy the professionalism of this work.
"Choke" is the second Chuck Palahniuk (the writer of "Fight Club")
novel to be adapted to the big screen, and it shows the wide range of
subjects that can be developed from antisocial behavior, nihilism, the
lack of male identity, and addiction. The film also shows us a softer,
light hearted side to his work that may perplex fans of his first
adaptation, but for that reason, it may be worth their time to check it
out.
Unlike Fight Club, Choke is
not about the sociological aspects of society’s affects on an
individual, but more of personal quest of the main character, Victor,
(Sam Rockwell from "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind"). Victor
is a sex addict whose mother, Oscar winner Anjelica Huston, is
suffering from a debilitating case of Alzheimer’s disease. To pay for
her treatment, he works as an indentured Irish servant in a
colonial-themed tourist attraction, and if that isn’t enough, he goes to
fancy restaurants and intentionally chokes on food to con money from
whoever rescues him. His mother’s health is important because she might
be the only one who has answers to his mysterious past that his
recollections of the limited experiences he had with his mother fail to
offer.
If
dealing with this seemingly Oedipus-based obsession with his mother and
staying on the wagon is not difficult enough, he now has to change his
lifestyle of being cold and cynical when he finally meets a girl he
truly likes, Paige, the doctor who is willing to go beyond the call of
duty to save his mom (portrayed by Kelly MacDonald of "Trainspotting").
As
information is collected and his friends and other crazy old ladies get
involved with his quest for knowledge, Victor is stuck with the dilemma
of trying to know whether he is becoming a good person, or if he was
never the bad person he thought he was.
If one were to research Palahniuk, all his novels are described to be as dark as Fight Club.
If this is the case, Clark Gregg, the first time writer/director of
this film, seemingly chose not to put the story he adapted into the same
dark world. This would leave one to conclude that Palahniuk's books
focus on how society allows for dark events like brainwashing the
disenchanted or becoming a sex addict to occur. Unfortunately, a fan of Fight Club may pick this title up to escape into a world that is the fruit of anarchy, so disappointment may occur.
The
spirit throughout the movie is good. Rockwell allows for the main
character to be a likable outcast without being deviant like Fight Club’s
Tyler Durden. If one is a fan of that character, they might feel the
character is not cool enough, but this works for the director's vision.
The film still remains to be quite cerebral despite the fact that Huston
is the only thing that makes the childhood flashback scenes worthwhile,
and Palahniuk’s dry sense of humor to make one wonder whether or not
this stuff should be funny.
What
truly makes the film work is that every plot twist works; this leaves
the audience rooting for all the characters to have happy endings except
for the cops who arrest Victor on the suspicion of rape of a 90
year-old mental patient. There is nothing spectacular about the film’s
direction, so engaging the audience with the story critical, and Gregg
successfully delivers in this aspect of his debut. He is not Woody
Allen, but he shows the same promise, and this critic would like to see
what he could do with a more audience-accessible project.
Choke is a feel good movie, which is definitely what this viewer did
not expect to see. If this catches a filmgoer by surprise, remember that
Fight Club’s narrator is left standing. What cannot be argued is that,
at least in the world of film, happily ever after is always a
possibility in a Palahniuk based project. As long as this happiness
exists in a world of emotional chaos, the audience should be pleased.
But because some want more than just the acknowledgement of the concepts
of happiness or chaos, renting this film is the reasonably priced
method to view Choke.
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