Heavy (1995)

86% of critics liked it
(28 reviews)
70% of users liked it
(1,500 ratings)

This character drama, set in a local pub in rural New York State, focuses on the lives, thoughts, and emotions of a group of social outcasts. The lead misfit is Victor, a shy and very rotund man in his '30s who works as a pizza maker in a roadside inn. His mother, Dolly owns the establishment. She… More This character drama, set in a local pub in rural New York State, focuses on the lives, thoughts, and emotions of a group of social outcasts. The lead misfit is Victor, a shy and very rotund man in his '30s who works as a pizza maker in a roadside inn. His mother, Dolly owns the establishment. She dominates his life. The senior waitress there is Dolores, an aging woman with a reputation for being easy. Dolores is resentful when Dolly hires the vivacious teenager Callie, who is in love with Jeff, a garage mechanic. Victor develops a painful crush on Callie and fantasizes about rescuing her from a life with Jeff. To help himself, he begins to diet and enrolls at a chef school. His mother becomes suddenly ill. Then Delores makes a pass at him, but he doesn't respond. He does however, feel emboldened to make a play for Callie. His actions lead him into a new world of expression. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: James Mangold
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jun 7, 1996 Wide
On DVD: Sep 21, 1999
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
A small, quiet miracle of a movie in which tenderness, compassion and insight combine to create a tension that yields a quality of perception that's almost painful to experience.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
You've been in places like this. You linger over a second cup of coffee and people-watch, trying to guess the secrets of the sad-eyed waitress and the drunk at the bar and the pizza cook who looks like he's serving a sentence.
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
Mangold's sympathy is genuine and his refusal to mock or condescend to his characters -- indeed, that may be the point of the film -- is a pleasure.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Even the film's chanciest moments sustain an overall poignancy.
Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle
Even at 80 minutes, Heavy would have been weighted with redundancies. So you can imagine what happened on the way to making it 105 minutes long.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
As she does in Stealing Beauty, Tyler somehow makes it all believable.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
The movie has a kind of elegance, but it's a very long sit.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Showing observational skills, James Mangold has made a quiet, personal film that contests the stereotypes with which Hollywood has portrayed overweight people.
Willie Waffle, WaffleMovies.com
Pruitt Taylor Vince will amaze you with his subtle but powerful portrayal of the lovable Victor.
Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World
Features a subtle performance by Vince
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Explores the same kind of territory pioneered in the short fiction of Raymond Carver.
Tyler McLeod, Jam! Movies
A slice of life drama that, like the characters it portrays, plods along at its own pace. All the while engaging the viewer.
Shlomo Schwartzberg, Boxoffice Magazine
Effectively delineates those people whose lives merely exist on the margins of society.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Adam M

Evan Dando as the boyfriend does all the sensitive-right things but is phony-wrong for her; not sure if the movie is like him; good lighting & music
Emily A

I don't really like Liv Tyler and Pruitt Taylor Vince makes me shudder, so I found very little to like about this movie. There was absolutely nothing special about it. I almost don't even remember watching it, it was so nondescript. Instead of watching this, just stare at a… More
I don't really like Liv Tyler and Pruitt Taylor Vince makes me shudder, so I found very little to like about this movie. There was absolutely nothing special about it. I almost don't even remember watching it, it was so nondescript. Instead of watching this, just stare at a blank wall and invent a movie in your head.