Film Review

09 January 2009 12:47 BST

Choke

Directed by Clark Gregg, out November 21st, starring Sam Rockwell, Kelly Macdonald, Angelica Houston, Brad William Henke, running time 89 mins.

In a nutshell…

Sex, addiction, repression, parenthood and the pursuit of happiness.

What's it all about?

Based on the novel of the same name by Fight Club scribe Chuck Palahniuk, Choke tells the story of sex addict Victor Mancini (Rockwell) and the relationship he has with his similarly afflicted best friend (Henke), dying mother (Houston) and her nurse (Macdonald).

Mancini is a hedonistic dropout who spends his days as a colonial theme park guide and his nights as a conman; choking himself in restaurants to extort cash from the unsuspecting do-gooders who save his life.

Rarely recognised by his delusional mother, Mancini lives his life torn between an irrepressible appetite for carnal satisfaction, emotional inadequacy and the pursuit of the truth behind his unorthodox upbringing.


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Who's in it?

Despite the synopsis above, Choke plays out in a darkly comic manner that is rooted in many of the same themes visited in Chuck Palahniuk's previous work, Fight Club.

Sam Rockwell, who has previously shone in flicks such as Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, plays the lead here and is supported by a stellar cast including Oscar-winner Angelica Houston and Kelly Macdonald, who was last seen in the Cohen brothers' No Country For Old Men.

Actor and first-time director Clark Gregg takes the helm as well as playing Mancini's boss and arch-nemesis Lord High Charlie – who's dedication to the job serves as a stark contrast to Victor's nihilistic loser.

As an example…

"We are not born equal sinners, or perfect knock-offs of God. The world tells us whether we're heroes or victims. But we can decide for ourselves." - Victor Mancini waxes lyrical about his unorthodox contribution to society.

Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars

The high level of sexual content and controversial themes in Choke mean it is unlikely to score at the big awards ceremonies. However, similarities with Fight Club that include the mechanics of group therapy and modern feelings of male inadequacy, could give it a cult audience.

What the others say

"Gregg makes the movie work as a sordid sex satire, but falls short in rising above that. And the many loathsome-turned-pathetic characters make Choke, in the end, a bit hard to swallow." - Roger Moore, the Morning Call

"If you were expecting more from the Coen Brother's Burn After Reading, then this idiosyncratic and gleefully filthy-minded curiosity may be just the thing." - Graeme Tuckett – Stuff.co.nz

So is it any good?

Group therapy as a security blanket was a theme explored in depth in David Fincher's 1999 adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, setting up its central character as a man trapped in a world without meaning.

However, whereas Fight Club's protagonist flourished in the bosom (literally in some scenes) of the peculiar family-dynamic, Victor Mancini is a man who seems indifferent to his therapeutic circle and instead revels in his vacuous existence.

Mancini's likeable rogue is played perfectly by Sam Rockwell, whose limited cinematic appearances betray his talent as one of the funniest and most able actors in Hollywood - and this is backed by a brilliant supporting cast.

Although darkly comic, the film never descends into the kind of dimwitted sex gags that have plagued Judd Apatow's vastly overrated productions like Superbad and Knocked Up.

Choke is instead a smart comedy with a cynical heart that is interesting, funny, heartwarming and well worth an hour-and-a-half of your time.

8/10

Noel Mellor

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