Anjelica Huston, Brad William Henke, Clark Gregg

Victor Mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for our deranged times. Needing to pay elder care for his mother, Victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to choke on pieces of food ...( read more  read more... )while dining in upscale restaurants. He then allows himself to be "saved" by fellow patrons who, feeling responsible for Victor's life, go on to send checks to support him. When he's not pulling this stunt, Victor cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action, visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a colonial theme park.

Flixster Users

57% liked it

27,331 ratings

Critics

54% liked it

135 critics

R, 1 hr. 29 min.

Directed by: Clark Gregg

Release Date: September 26, 2008

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DVD Release Date: February 17, 2009

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Stats: 2,676 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,676)


  • July 26, 2009
    Pretty well written. Don't have much to say I guess.
  • May 30, 2009
    Eh, this wasn't terrible or anything, but more often than not it felt phoned in and kind of flat. Sam Rockwell was definitely on sleepwalk mode here. The only standout in the cast was Anjelica Huston, but her character was also the most interesting and her opportunities for expre...( read more)ssion much stronger. It was refreshing to have a character on screen who had emotions and wasn't just a handful of disjointed psychological issues. Not that she wasn't, but she actually managed to follow through on them. I don't know.

    I found this sort of dull overall. For a movie full of ~*~TABOO~*~ subject material, it doesn't exactly hit all that hard. If you're easily grossed-out yet openminded, you might get a kick out of it: it's less than 90 minutes and it wouldn't kill anyone to give it a shot. If things like obtrusive direction don't bother you, there might be room in your heart for Choke.
  • May 3, 2009
    Uneven comedy drama with a quirky charm. Rockwell is perfectly cast in the lead and most of the humour works but Macdonald struggles to convince. Brave attempt.
  • March 23, 2009
    Choke is a brilliant dark comedy about sexual deviates. It's about the things we all need to do to feel a rush out of life, or to know we're alive. About people's fears with relationships.
    I enjoyed this movie immensely. Sure, it could have been better, and there were a few slowe...( read more)r parts, but that can be expected with any movie.
    The book was written by Chuck Palahniuk, who also wrote Fight Club. The story is unique and a bit off the wall. That is what makes this movie so great, we are all twisted and messed up in some way shape or form and it's OK to embrace that.
    I adore Sam Rockwell. His performance in Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind blew me away. So naturally, he was the right fit to play Victor Mancini. Anjelica Huston is a class act, and always a joy to watch. She was great as Ida. The relationship that her and Victor shared and their onscreen time together broke my heart. Rockwell and Huston had really great chemistry as mother and child.I also really liked Kelly Macdonald as Paige, she is very pretty.
    Choke is a must see movie. Anyone who has issues, or knows anyone with issues, will appreciate this one.
  • March 14, 2009
    I loved this movie, it was fucking great! coulda been better had they used a more darker tone 2 the film but i still loved it.
  • November 18, 2009
    Original and funny. It's definately a certain kind of humor and not everyone will understand it or appreciate it, but I really loved it. Sam Rockwell did a really great job and really drove the movie. His character is so orrible, yet he still comes off as a real likeable characte...( read more)r. The script was also really well written and contains all the wit and twisted humor of Palahnuik. My only big problem is that I wanted MORE. It seemed way too short. There was so much more they could've told, but I guess if they did it would have gotten an NC-17. Overall though, a must see for anyone who likes twisted and dry-wit humor.
  • November 16, 2009
    Highly recommended, funny and clever movie.
  • November 16, 2009
    This film was really faithful to the book, Victor was well cast. Enjoyable!
  • November 9, 2009
    Anarchic, dark and funny, Clark Gregg has done a pretty solid job of bringing Chuck Palahnuck's story to the screen.

    Sam Rockwell equals a perfect Victor. You can't help but root for the guy whilst he indulges in his addictions, knowing full well that it can come to no good. H...( read more)e makes him likeable and someone to root for which given what he gets up to is a pretty impressive feat. Excellent work from Sam as per usual.

    What I really appreciated was how the key aspects of the book have been captured so effectively within 90 minutes. All of the quirky aspects of the story which I loved in the book (the jerk boss for example) are all present and help to make this a really fun film.

    Great story, acting and direction, this is a goodie..
  • October 29, 2009
    Funny, strange, offbeat. This film had the potential to be very cool but went off the track somewhere along the way....or maybe it was just missing something.

    "We let the world tell us whether we're saints or sex addicts. Sane or insane. Heroes or victims. Whether we'r...( read more)e good mothers, or loving sons. But we can decide for ourselves. As a certain wise fugitive once told me, sometimes its not important which way you jump, just that you jump."

Critic Reviews


November 21, 2008
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

The whole movie is dying, actually. But it puts on a brave face and gratefully receives visitors. full review

October 18, 2008
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Choke tries to be dirty but manages merely to be dingy. full review

October 1, 2008
Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com

Choke is a relatively small film designed for quirky tastes and on that level and for Rockwell's manic performance, it's worth a look. full review

September 26, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Choke is disappointing not for what it is but what it could have been. full review

September 26, 2008
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Gregg's unstable direction mutes the humor and confuses the schmaltz, yielding a tonally discombobulated film. And a thoroughly discombobulated critic. full review

September 26, 2008
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com

The perfect film for the entire family. That is, to paraphrase another great American writer, James Ellroy, if your family happens to be named Manson. full review

September 25, 2008
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Though there are moments of viable dark humor, it feels glib and lacks the sardonic quality of the novel by Chuck Palahniuk. full review

September 25, 2008
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Choke is too low-key for its own good, and neither Rockwell nor Macdonald seems able to find the right psychic momentum to move this thing along the way it needs to be. full review

September 25, 2008
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

All the pieces are here, but you have to glue the kite together to make it fly. full review

September 22, 2008
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

It's bizarrely flat -- it has no affect. It's like Palahniuk translated into Robotese. full review

View more Choke reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • QueenCityFilms
    October 5, 2008
    I'll second that..

    Movie was a tranquil shit
  • mart1n
    June 13, 2008
    I Loved the Book, it was dark, surreal and fully of gritty wit and humor. Just seeing the trailer for this Film adaption makes me feel violently sick. Someone desided to take the Soul out of this story, that seems pretty clear...even without waching it

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Choke Trivia


  • at the start of miss congeniality, what does the bad russian choke on?  Answer »
  • in Matilda what is detenchen called?  Answer »
  • From which movie is this song taken from:" But it all was bullshit, it was a God damn joke and when I think of you Linda I hope you God damn choke"?  Answer »
  • In Toy Story, when Woody opened Buzz Lightyears helmet over his head, what did buzz lightyear do?  Answer »

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