[GUEST REVIEW] CHOKE
Praise, it would seem, is the new ‘crack’. You get a little sniff of it and you want more. And when you get more, you want some more. You’ll steal from your own grandmother to fund your search for your next hit. Praise is the thing that your psyche tells you that you need to get the blood pumping through your veins. And once you’ve got it pumping through you, it hurts like hell when it stops – I should know, I lie awake at night fondly recalling the days when Kristina used to find my reviews great! *sob, sob*
NotorietyH is flying high on the kudos passed his way as a result of his guest review of Steven Soderbergh’s Che. He doesn’t want to come down just yet so he’s back with his thoughts on Clark Gregg’s Choke. Gregg, for those not in the know, is the actor-turned-director who you will most likely remember as the “representative of S.H.I.E.L.D” in Iron-Man. I quite fancy taking a look at Choke but I’m probably going to wait for the DVD as it takes too much energy to try and hunt out which cinema in my area is going to show it for one night, and one night only, which seems to be the way for a lot of off-kilter movies these days.
Anyway, here’s NotorietyH and if you liked his write-up on Che then you’ll dig this. It’s a very long, well observed piece and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And, by the way, the award for over-using the name of a movie in your opening paragraph goes to… 
I think I’ve set a precedent here where I’m only going to review films that begin with the letters ‘Ch’. So probably won’t be doing another review until the Child’s Play remake. Choke is based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk, who also wrote Fight Club. So let’s just get one thing out of the way first. This isn’t Fight Club, it’s not even close. Even if it was as good as Fight Club, it couldn’t have the same impact that Fight Club had. Fight Club appeared at exactly the right time, was socially relevant, was a breath of fresh air and appeared in that vintage year of 1999 that I like to think of as the beginning of the new golden age of cinema, or at least when that status was cemented. Fight Club heralded that with a swift punch in the face and a kick in the teeth. It was the film that made me fall in love with cinema all over again. Strangely it’s slipped from my top 10 movies list. Maybe because it’s not quite as relevant now, or that there’s been so many imitators, and it’s been aped so many times the sheen has come off it a bit. Which is why Choke, though an enjoyable film, isn’t anything special.
I’m a big Chuck Palahniuk fan, and Choke was the second book of his I read after Fight Club. At the time it suffered in much the same way the film does. In terms of characters and setting, Choke is too similar to Fight Club to have its own identity. Choke centres on Victor, played brilliantly by Sam Rockwell. I love Sam Rockwell, I’ve yet to see a performance by him I didn’t love, for me he’s the unsung hero of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, if it wasn’t for such astonishing performances from Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt in that, he’d have been getting all the attention. He’s perfect for the role of Victor. He carries the film and it’s great to see him in a leading role.
Victor is a sex addict, who visits sex addict anonymous meetings, not to get help, but to get laid. He works in an 18th century historical town, one of those places where people dress and act exactly as they would have at the time. A former medical student, he quit college to put his dying mother, played by Anjelica Huston, in a better, private care home. Victor also has another way of making money, he’ll go to a restaurant, force some food down his throat making himself choke and stumble gasping over to wealthy looking patron, who will give him the Heimlich manoeuvre and save his life. The point being that they will now feel a connection to Victor and responsible for him. So Victor follows up with letters, explaining he needs dental surgery, or it’s his birthday or some other excuse and his saviours will inevitably send him money. The main thrust of the plot involves Victor trying to find out who his father is from his mother, whose mental and physical health are both failing rapidly. He also begins to have a burgeoning relationship with his mother’s new doctor, Paige, played by Kelly MacDonald.
There are a few twists along the way but the plot is really kind of secondary to the visual jokes and character stuff. In fact the film ends quite abruptly, seemingly right in the middle of the final act. It’s quite disconcerting. I can’t remember how the book ended, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that abrupt. Saying that Chuck Palahniuk has always had a problem with endings. He sets up great premises and characters, but is never quite sure how to make them pay off. That’s what Choke feels like, a great premise, great characters, but there’s nothing of real substance. You’ll laugh along with it, and feel vaguely sympathetic towards Victor, there’s a few small character flourishes, but there’s no real issue being raised, no themes to discuss over coffee after the film. It carries you along with a steady stream of jokes that if you don’t find funny, will make the film a bit of drag. While it doesn’t have the visual energy or style of Fight Club it does have a few visual flourishes that work really well. Namely the occasions where Victor will see a woman and either imagine her naked and we’ll get to see what he’s imagining, or he’ll see a woman and flashback to them having sex. Considering the amount of sex Victor has had, this happens quite a bit in the film, it does lose its impact after a while, but is nevertheless amusing. There’s a couple of scenes that try to push the boundaries, like one involving a woman who ropes Victor into her rape fantasy, which I suppose you’ll either find funny or offensive. It’s totally in keeping with the spirit of the film though, so you’ll have long hated the film before that scene for it to make you swing one way or the other.
Overall the direction is solid, not really unique, but very ably handled by debut writer/director Clark Gregg, who you’ll immediately recognise when you see him in the film thanks to his many roles in TV and Film as an actor. He instantly gets kudos from me anyway for appearing in a handful of West Wing episodes. The script sticks fairly faithfully to the book, with a few exceptions, which also adds to the deja-vu feeling. Victor has a voice-over throughout the film, delivered in much the same deadpan, uncommitted style of ‘Jack’ in Fight Club. Victor, like Jack, is a man stuck in a dead end job, a therapy group being his only real outlet, or moreso the result of going to said therapy group. The tone of the film is similar but a bit more light-hearted, and slightly less anarchic.
I’ve seen Choke described as a Rom-com Fight Club, in a complimentary way, which seems odd to me, That’s the last thing I’d want it to be and the romantic element of Choke lets it down slightly. It’s handled well at the start with Victor falling for Paige, mainly because he can’t have her, and there’s a couple of twists along the way, but overall it’s not really that complex, you don’t really care if they get together, you’d much rather be watching Victor’s other exploits. The interesting parts of the dynamic between Paige and Victor aren’t due to their relationship or characters, they’re generally plot driven.
That’s not to say Choke isn’t enjoyable. I’d describe it as romp, in every sense of the word. You’re dragged along from amusing event to amusing event. A touch of character development or subversive dramatic element thrown in here and there to make you feel like you’re not just watching a sex-comedy, but it just doesn’t have that anarchic feel of the book, or Fight Club, There’s a few things omitted from the book, nothing major, just small character beats, or some of Victor’s introspections, that just added another layer to the book that didn’t helped give it a light separation from Fight Club. There’s some nice beats to the plot, good performances from Anjelica Huston and everyone else and a great performance from Sam Rockwell, who always manages to stay the right side of sleazy to still make himself charming. It’s worth checking out if you’re a fan of anyone involved in the film, just don’t expect it to change your life, or to be quoting the film years down the line. If I haven’t made it obvious already, my main piece of advice is, don’t walk in expecting another Fight Club and you should be okay!
Oh and I’d just like to say right here and now, if someone has plans to adapt another Chuck Palahniuk book into a film, please make it Lullaby!
Good stuff wasn’t it? I thought this flick would be getting higher ratings / better reviews then this, truth be told, but it does seem like NotorietyH’s final rating is in keeping with every other review out there. Thanks again “bitch”! By the way, has anyone read Palahniuk’s Invisible Monsters? That was a pretty decent book but I’m not exactly sure I’d be up for looking at it as a film, it has to be said!
7 Responses to “[GUEST REVIEW] CHOKE”
Lol, believe it or not I did mention Fight Club more in the opening paragraph but deleted a few!
I don’t believe that to be possible
Hire this mofo.
Yeah, well this is where it’s all very awkward and confusing isn’t it pet? Wyv isn’t meant to be hands on on the site anymore but he’s more prolific then ever (he should “step back” more often, ha ha!) but he’s still around so I don’t know exactly how far my role actually stretches.
Am I just a ‘work horse’ or do I have actual “rights” and opinions that can be expressed? Because, yes, I most certainly agree with you, NotorietyH should be hired.
… Well, at least “bitched out” to work in the news section for a while to take the heat off us, ha ha!
And Gazz, I still think your reviews are great. Just like you :blush:
:blush: Awww, I’m all maroon in the face now :blush:
Thank you honey!
Aw, ta v. much guys, I’m available for bitch status anyway, but happy to just contribute the odd guest review when I get a chance too. So it’s all good in the hood! Fight Club Fight Club Fight Club.
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