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

6,590 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: 2,664 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,664)


  • 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.
  • 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."
  • October 28, 2009
    As stupid as possible.
    I canīt believe itīs written for the same person that wrote "Fight Club"!!


  • October 26, 2009
    I was curious to see the film translation of 'Choke' ( after reading this superb book a while back) and Im a huge fan of Chuck Palahniuk and it might be perceived that I'd need a bit of persuading that this is a highly trust-worthy adaptation. Well it is and it does it just remar...( read more)kably well.

    Clark Gregg ( who I'm not 100% sure but isnt he more known for his acting?) does a Stirling job of what in actual fact is a mammoth of a task in adapting this one to film. The fast pace is there, the intermittent multi- storyline structure is there.It actually fits a hell of a lot into 1hr and half. What more could you want? Have to admit I would have enjoyed it more if I wasnt aware of the twist from reading the book at the end. One of two things were missing like the moment when the viewers (some of who have been scammed) at home see Victor on TV suddenly go to see him at Dunnsborough. But still I thought this is an excellent interpretation and cant really do anything wrong. And its also worth giving a thumbs up to Kelly Macdonald(Trainspotting,No Country for Old Men) and Sam Rockwell (The Green Mile) what great talents they're proving to be.


    4/5
  • October 21, 2009
    Hilarious! A dark comedy from one of my favorite authors, with a great cast.
  • October 9, 2009
    Heard it wasn't that good... but it was... you may have heard wrong... now you know... signed... self proclaimed best reviewer... and... done.

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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