We saw the adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s “Choke” as directed by actor-turned filmmaker Clark Gregg in June, but haven’t had a chance to spit out a review. It comes out this weekend (September 26), so we should hop to it.
There’s two problems with assessing “Choke” at this juncture in the year. One: trying to judge it on its own merits and not comparing it to everything else we’ve already seen this year (this year keeps getting better and better) and then two: trying to tune out the early blogger buzz that started after Sundance ’08. Otherwise, “Choke” fails, as it certainly can’t live up to the it’s blog overhype and so many more other interesting films have come out this year.
But based on its own, “Choke,” is a pretty twistedly dark and enjoyable little indie (EW calls it a “dirty-minded satirical-psychotic comedy”)
Starring Sam Rockwell, Angelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, Brad Henke as Rockwell’s bumbling sidekick buddy, Bijou Phillips and Gregg himself the film and novel are about a sex-addicted con-man (Rockwell) who pays for his mother’s (Huston) hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who rescue him when pretending to choke to death.
During the day, Rockwell and Henke (a chronic masturbator) play historical reenactor at a Colonial Williamsburg theme park. Gregg, plays their boss who refuses to break character and his speaking-in “oldenspeak” Colonial-dialect when he reproaches them (“Thy purse shall suffer!”) provides some of the film’s biggest laughs.
Rockwell fucks everything that walks, and attends sex-addict meeting for that very reason (which is where all the dirty-minded sex comes in), but when he meets Kelly MacDonald and starts having feelings for her above lust, he can’t really, well, seal the deal performance wise. Now dying of old age and suffering from Alzheimer’s his mother (Huston), plays a huge spectre in his life as she was in and out of his life (and prison), stealing him from foster homes and generally providing him with a severely dysfunctional and fucked-up childhood. Which of course leads to all his psych0-sexual proclivities.
One major flaw that effects the film throughout, the initial choking scene in the beginning should really convey some sort of magical feeling — it’s the crux of the film and being “saved” is supposed to illustrate how much Rockwell’s character needs to be loved and how much it affects his self-worth (he’s self-esteem is shit, he loathes himself). As a director, this should be your key scene and all the film follows in its footsteps, but this scene is ho-hum and doesn’t really sell this point home making the rest of the picture’s argument for the character’s behavior, kind of weak.
It is hard to drown out the hype chorus though and it’s affecting as “Choke” isn’t that good (either people are too undiscerning or it was just too early in the year). It can be funny (OK, one scene near the end where Rockwell thinks he has the power of Jesus is laugh out loud hilarious), but drama-wise there’s no real penetrating story and you don’t really feel for anyone. It’s also not the most perfectly constructed film and does feel like a first-timer feeling his way around the editing room (the production values are cheap as all get out too). It’s not something that has stuck with us at all. But hey, it does have a pretty good soundtrack, right? [B-]
Scene From “Choke”
