GatorDeb

This was a hard movie to watch. I was Fraser at the beginning of the film. I think our blood pressures were the same actually. I was morbidly obese. I did go to the hospital. Got out, went again a week later, got out. My body was shutting down. When I got out the second time I turned my life around and have so far lost over a third of my body weight. That binging scene was so painful to watch.

Want to hear something honest? I'm still him, albeit not physically (no, not a cry for help, just sharing).

I'll be thinking about this film for a long time. Just finished watching it (I'm standing at the movie theater typing this on my phone). I hated the ending, but maybe it didn't imply he went to heaven. Need to read up everything I can find on the internet about it. And watch the movie again. Did he even walk. Did he die when she turned away to leave and the rest didn't happen? That's how I hope the ending really went.

Everyone's acting was a masterpiece. This better win big. Everywhere. I've always been a Fraser fan. This movie is the definition of a masterpiece.

Crocker Jarmen

That's interesting, it never occurred to me he didn't actually walk, that the "fantasy" images started there. You've now changed the way I'm thinking about the movie.

Sounds like an intense viewing experience for you. Thanks for sharing your reaction and thoughts.

dex14

A criticism I've seen is that the film can feel exploitative of his size (like the shots of him walking, or in the shower, etc.). I didn't think so, but I'd be curious to see what you thought. Did you feel it was?

GatorDeb

I WAS surprised at the number of fat jokes. I did laugh at every one of them. When she's telling the missionary she's his daughter and he acts surprised and she says are you surprised that a or are you surprised that b, I guffawed and then went crap I shouldn't laugh at that joke and stopped laughing, feeling guilty for having laughed.

I lost half of my body weight once and regained it all back plus 10 lbs. I have to be careful when I'm not fat that I have to change the way I talk and act considerably, the words I use, so it's something I'm always cognizant of. I'm 5'4" and was 240 lbs and now I'm at 155.2 lbs, about 10.2 lbs overweight, but you wouldn't think twice about my size. Something I've noticed is that it's taboo to talk about fat people. I've never had anybody say to me you sure you want to eat all that? But when I was skinny (113 lbs) I'd ask for the nutrition menu at restaurants and a waitress said to me you don't look like you need the nutrition menu and I replied I don't look like I need it because I use it. I was at a gathering once for the Jewish New Year and I wanted a bite of the New Year cake (like a literal bite not a slice) for the significance, not for the cake, and a person of size said to me, grab a slice, looks like you need it. Of course I didn't reply you should put that huge slice back, then, since it looks like you don't need it. Because THAT'D be rude. Skinny shaming is rampant in society and accepted. It would set off binging episodes for me because people would constantly comment on my size when skinny and it eventually contributed to me regaining the weight. But I'm stronger this time around.

If someone mentions my weight when I start looking skinny I will totally say how would you feel if I made comments about your weight? Because 9.9 times out of ten it's fat people commenting on skinny people's weight. As a reference I've been skinny 3 years out of my 44 years of life (2011 to 2014) and the rest overweight to morbidly obese.

People would tell me I'm anorexic. I actually looked it up and had weight tables ready and my height and offered to get on a scale and have myself checked into inpatient treatment if I had an anorexic weight or they could stop talking about it if I was a healthy weight. For some reason those people never took me up in the offer. I always kept myself at a healthy weight for height. I used to do marathons and triathlons.

For all the talk in society about fat shaming, thin shaming is rampant.

So yeah I may have a couple of thoughts on the matter

Rival11

I only partially know what this movie is about but it made me think of something the other day as far as diet goes. I'm really fit and have been for a while now. I have a few extra pounds, but I don't care because I have much more muscle and again, I always feel great because of how much I work out (I'm not saying that staying in shape means you have no health issues either).

But with all that said, I recently noticed that I have an addiction to sweets - I eat little chocolate's randomly and somewhat constantly throughout the day - when I run out, I always make it priority to go stock up on some more - did this for a few months before I caught on that hey......this isn't good. even though it's not that much, I still shouldn't be doing this.

It made realize that all of us probably have some sort of eating disorder to an extent and we may not even know it. This includes morbidly obese people as well.

I feel mine is definitely out of boredom and general sugar addiction (definitely not stress) and I know you can say "Yeah but, millions of people do what I do, snack on sweets all day long even if it's just very small portions - it's normal" it's not though - especially considering the rest of my diet is very clean.

GatorDeb

All I know is I was craving KFC on the way from the theater and I haven't wanted KFC in almost a year (I'm keto).

Throwing Copper

For those interested in something like this, it comes out tomorrow on VOD.

OldBoy

This wasn’t shown in 4:3 ratio, correct?

dex14

It was.

OldBoy

Ok, phew. Thought I got screwed in ar. What was Aronofsky’s rationale for that?

GoldenJCJ

I haven’t seen the movie yet and don’t know about Aronofsky but I can imagine it’s something along the lines of placing the viewing in a claustrophobic feeling in much the same way Fraser’s character felt in his own body.

Or maybe he just likes 4:3 because it made fat man look more fat.

OldBoy

i saw this. it was well acted by Fraser (he will win Oscar), but it wasn't about anything. you knew what would happen in the end and was just showing a morbidly obese man. it was like that show on TLC or whatever about my 500lb Life or whatever show. i mean i was curious and it showed the worst of indulgence, but i wish there was more story with this. i dunno. i know i won't have to see it again. this would not be a multi-viewing title.

as i said, well acted, but that was it. kind of flat.

mndtrp

I also liked it, and was fairly captivated by the whole thing while watching it. When it was done, I agree OldBoy, there wasn't really much to the actual story. Good movie, glad I watched it, probably won't watch it again.

Crocker Jarmen

We need to normalize promoting movies as being "Good". I think films like this hurt themselves, because the marketing tries to whip the audience into a frenzy, "Most MOVING and SPECTACULAR portrait of HUMAN EMOTION THAT WILL SHAKE YOUR SOUL TO ITS CORE." There's nothing wrong with a movie that does what it does well. Not every movie is going to be amazing, but that also doesn't mean they suck. There's a wide in-between.

GatorDeb

From somebody who was where he was at the beginning of the movie (although not quite as heavy but morbidly obese, although I went to the hospital and lost 91.8 lbs so far in a year and 5 days) and who is a life-long binge eater, this movie is an accurate representation of binge eating and obesity. Little things like the nurse enabling him by bringing him food, etc. That whole binge scene was like a food orgy. Only stopping eating when it hurt. In that respect (and many others) this movie is a timeless masterpiece.

OldBoy

The more I think about this movie, the more I like it. Brilliant performance by Fraser. Not sure it’s uplifting as mentioned above somewhere. I don’t know what makes it uplifting. Similar to The Wrestler.

Finisher

So he was suiciding via overeating. Ending was emotional and hit me hard knowing that essay was written by his daughter and he was basically recreating Moby Dick as both Ahab and the whale. Meaning his entire purpose in life became killing the whale (himself) thinking it'd bring him peace (literal death).

GatorDeb

OMG I didn't make this connection and it's funny just today I was still wondering why they used that title.

The Antipodean

Finally caught this last night and while it seems pretty divisive amongst the critics - on my Letterbox it seems you either love it or HATE it - I generally really liked it, and am rooting for Brendan to win the Oscar now. His performance single-handedly lifts the movie quite a lot and makes Charlie feel like a real human being.

My pet peeve with Oscars is when people win for rather broad impersonation, pantomime performances as celebrities (such as Chastain's Tammy Faye or Austin Butler's decent, but not amazing Elvis) rather than just ordinary human beings, and Fraser really threads the needle to make the character more than just one big fat joke. Of the ones I've seen nominated for Best Actor this year (I haven't seen Bill Nighy) he really did the best, with Colin Farrell a close second. (Interesting how all five actor nominees this year are playing characters who are either suicidal or self-destructive)

The movie was actually less dark and depressing than I feared (I'll always look to Requiem as a true Aronofsky endurance test of misery) and Hong Chau and Sadie Fink were also excellent. The staginess of the movie's origins in a play were pretty obvious but I don't mind that. The whole missionary kid subplot was a bit ridiculous and took the movie down a notch for me, but overall, it's a great, humane drama that knows it's manipulative as hell but at least does it in a way that lands for me, other than the occasionally over-the-top pounding by the musical score.

JeffTheAlpaca

Maybe the Oscar effect and it is now the #1 selling Blu-ray at Amazon for $15.99

Too bad Encino Man is not on Blu-ray and maybe it was around $9.99 or a cheap price it would have sold well this week.

TomOpus

Encino Man is $3.99 to rent via streaming.

Mike86

I took a chance on a blind buy for $16. I know it won’t be anything I’ll probably have an urge to revisit often but cheap enough to take a chance on.

JeffTheAlpaca

It is a Aronofsky film so might not be a total waste of money.

OldBoy

Never go wrong with more of Aronofsky. I did buy this too using credit. I think I will watch again and the making of extra I read was good. So there’s that.

Mike86

I dunno Aranofsky has been hit or miss with me for his last couple films. This is his first in a while I’ve been interested in. Had not interest in Noah or Mother!