The Whale

Absolute Masterpiece of a movie that shows the life of an overweight man because his boyfriend died, so he took his grief in binge eating, showing the way of sexuality, fear of homosexuality, the life of an overweight man, and the struggles of reconnecting with his daughter, Ellie. I can't tell you enough how amazing this movie is and how great of a job Brendan Fraser did of acting, which he deserved the awards he received for the film. If you haven't seen this movie, you have to check it out. It's a very emotional movie.

Once every couple of years or so, a movie comes along that you have to see because of a single performance. It will be a performance based on a person with a handicap (Forrest Gump) or a disfigurement (The Elephant Man) or an incredible talent for scaring the hell out of us (Joker). And yes, it's often a man in the role. But when you see the movie coming out, you just know that no matter how good or bad the film is, that somebody is going to take home an Oscar. And such it was for Brenden Fraser.

Who knew Brendan Fraser had THIS in him?!! The makeup was superb and took SIX hours a day to apply. Sadie Sink plays his sassy 17 year old daughter; she looks like a next-gen Lindsay Lohan to me (hopefully sans the addiction issues.) I cried way too much - everything makes me cry now. A must see.

Brenden Fraser's performance alone is enough to keep you gripped until the credits 👏

Amazing acting. Masterpiece

Man wasted his life, he had everything and decided to be gaay and fatt. Fraser didn't deserve Oscar for this...

It’s depressing but the characters are very real. Having been raised in an “end time cult” as portrayed in the movie, the depiction of it is very accurate. Not to spoil it, but Fraser’s character’s relief at finally getting honesty really rings true in context of the religious background.

I'm glad that Brendan Fraser won his first Academy Award for Best Actor with this movie.

The whale is a thoroughly thought provoking and interesting film. It explores themes of loneliness, belief and as the title would suggest, obesity. Brendan Fraiser gives an excellent and emotional performance which will likely go down in history as one of the great character immersions of all time. The film has its limitations however. It portrays a misunderstood version of religion, trying to smear all religions with that of Mormons/seventh day adventists, which are certainly not the norm. Additionally none of the characters are particularly likable, in fact most are outright unpleasant, however it does seem as though this is a conscious choice. Going back to the positives the acting is brilliant and realistic, and the writing is at times beautiful. The practical effects used to balloon Fraiser are amazing and you really believe he is the weight he is portraying. Overall this film is worth your time, but you may find yourself eye rolling at certain points depending on what is being said or done. Overall this film is an 8/10, well above average, but not quite reaching perfection. However, Fraiser's acting alone makes up for any disagreements I have with the writing.

A comeback role for Fraser. A dark tale about how someone who loses all control from a traumatic experience and its effect on everyone around him. Highly recommend this movie.