For the first time since 1999’s Fight Club, the world is given a film adaptation of a controversial Chuck Palahniuk novel, this time in the form of Choke (Fox Searchlight), the directorial debut of actor Clark Gregg (Iron Man).
Victor Mancini, played by The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford‘s Sam Rockwell, is a sex-addicted, medical school dropout who works as a historical re-enactor in a colonial Williamsburg village. To help keep his mother, Ida J. Mancini (Anjelica Huston, The Darjeeling Limited), in an expensive private hospital that cares for her Alzheimer’s disease, Victor preys on wealthy people by pretending to choke in restaurants, forcing them to save him. These people, in turn, continue to have a relationship with him, talking to him and sending him money.
Victor had a troubled childhood and wants to figure it all out before his mother dies. To try and keep her alive and figure out the truth, he enlists the help of his best friend Denny (Brad William Henke, Sherrybaby) and Paige Marshall (Kelly MacDonald, No Country for Old Men), a doctor who works at the hospital.
Choke is by far one of the more raunchy films to earn an R rating. Several scenes involve sex in one form or another, understandable in a story centered on a sex-addict willing to fornicate with anyone, but this is probably Choke‘s best quality. Many of the funniest moments come from his escapades or from the film’s perverted sense of humor.
Sam Rockwell, whose only leading roles have been in smaller films up to this point, is spectacular as Victor. He is sarcastic, dry and plays the role of scumbag to a tee, while still selling the idea that there is a sensitive side in him that prevents him from performing when he actually cares about a girl.
It is also fun to see a truly depraved Anjelica Huston as Victor’s mother. She plays her both in present day as well as in flashbacks to Victor’s childhood.
Though the movie is carried by the performances of Huston and Rockwell, the underrated MacDonald also gives a good turn as the sweet doctor trying to help Victor save his mother. The chemistry between her and Rockwell is awkward, but there is something strangely attractive about her in this oddball role.
Having not read the book, it is hard to give a fair comparison, but, though the movie is depressing and dramatic at times, it does not seem as dark as one might expect from a Palahniuk adaptation.
Comparing the movie to Fight Club is not something that should be done either, not only because Fight Club is a superior movie, but also because they are on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as genre goes.
Choke is a strange mix of comedy and drama that provides a good amount of belly laughs that make it worth seeing, However, it leaves viewers with a perhaps intentional empty feeling.
