Friday, January 10, 2014

Choke (2008)



IMDb plot summary: A sex-addicted con-man pays for his mother's hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who rescue him from choking to death.
Directed by Clark Gregg. Starring Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald and Brad William Henke.

(Somewhat vague spoilers ahead.)

I just read this book last year and, I gotta say, if there's anyone who could bring this main character to life, it's Sam Rockwell. The guy is such a fascinating actor - he somehow exudes BOTH a distance from and a deep connection to humanity. Simultaneously. I could watch him in anything. All day long. That being said, I wasn't actually crazy about this as an adaptation. The "big twist" is revealed awkwardly and it ends with an equally awkward... "happy" ending? The ending of the original book was my favorite thing about it, so it was a little disappointing to see that fall apart a bit here. However, Sam Rockwell kept me interested all the way through, even if I wasn't impressed with the smoothness of the adaptation overall. 3 stars.

Flickchart: #723 out of 1984, below Seeking a Friend For the End of the World and above Three Amigos.

Rent it on Amazon for $2.99.

1 comment:

Brittani Burnham said...

I really loved this one too, though I've never read the book. I think it's time to revisit this again.