Choke

Choke is an odd film. Victor, as played with unusual charm by Sam Rockwell, is a sex addict. He goes to meetings (well, 'meet'ings) and is all consumed with women and his desperate quest for action. In addition, and for fun perhaps, he fakes choking in restaurants to benefit from the generosity of those who rescue him from his this fake circumstance. Her regularly visits his mentally unstable mother - yet another strange maternal performance from Angelica Huston - and eventually meets a doctor who might mean more to him than any other woman he has ever done/met. Chuck Palakniuk's darkly comic writing, he also wrote 1999's Fight Club, is so wrong and offensive, it is actually very clever and subversive. He has a way of giving us repulsive characters that are still irresistible and engaging. Victor is no exception; he's repellent but you want to like him. Sam Rockwell makes the most of his role, Joel Grey, in a minor role, is cleverly cast as a meeting member and Kelly MacDonald, after 2007's No Country for Old Men, proves that she is an actress to watch. Filled with sensational moments of bad taste and some hilarious situations, Choke is a memorable but curious comedy that leaves an interesting, infectious aftertaste.

8 on the DaveScale.

(dir. Clark Gregg, USA, 89 mins)