I‘ve been pretty stoked for the adaptation of
Choke, partially because it’s an adaptation of a Chuck Palahniuk novel (although I actually haven’t read it yet), partially because it has Anjelica Huston in it (and Kelly Macdonald for that matter), but mostly because it stars Sam Rockwell, who in the past couple of years I’ve taken a real liking too with his work in
The Assassination of Jesse James and
Matchstick Men, in which I thought he did some really great work. Then just recently I got around to seeing Clooney’s
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and realized this Rockwell cat is the
real deal. Was anybody else blown away by his performance in this? Needless to say, my excitement for this is mostly coming from seeing him carry this film on his shoulders.
Official Plot Synopsis:
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Victor Mancini, a sex-addicted med-school dropout, keeps his increasingly deranged mother, Ida, in an expensive private mental hospital by working days as a historical reenactor. At night he runs a scam where he deliberately chokes in upscale restaurants to form parasitic relationships with the wealthy patrons who “save” him. When, in a rare lucid moment, Ida reveals that she has withheld the shocking truth of his father’s identity, Victor must enlist the aid of his best friend, Denny, a recovering chronic masturbator, and his mother’s beautiful attending physician, Dr. Paige Marshall, to solve this mystery before the truth of his possibly divine parentage is lost forever.
Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Chuck Palahniuk, CHOKE tickles the funny bone as it dives into darker areas of human behavior. At the heart of the film is yet another staggering performance by Sam Rockwell as Victor. He fully inhabits the character and nails both the comedic and dramatic aspects with indelible timing and delivery. A delicious blend of fresh writing, juicy performances, and sharp directing, CHOKE is actually quite easy to swallow.
So, courtesy of /Film, check out all of the new photos from the upcoming film (which will premiere at Sundance) below.
I Heart Galaxy Quest. In no small part due to Rockwell’s tiny role as Ensign Guy.
Because I die, in EPISODE 81!!!
‘Choke’ is one of Chuck’s best pieces of work in a pretty impressive literary body. If you haven’t read it, do yourself a favor and do so before you see this flick. Amazing story.
Gotta see this just from that great synopsis. Rockwell continues to impress.
Galaxy Quest rules. Tony Shalhoub had some great lines too.
I’d argue that Invisible Monsters is Palahniuk’s best book. Just viscious satire that never lets up.
And to go with the photos, a very short clip!
this looks pretty flat. And will suffer by comparison to a master like D. Fincher. But the casting has serious potential here, and the book is solid stuff (if a little similar to F.C.)