Sep 26, 2008 1:10 pm US/Eastern
'Choke'
NEW YORK (AP) ―
As disappointing book-to-film adaptations go, this isn't quite as bad as "The Bonfire of the Vanities," but it's up there. The novel from "Fight Club" writer Chuck Palahniuk, about a sex addict who pretends he's choking in restaurants to make money to pay for his demented mom's hospital care, wasn't exactly great literature.
But the characters had a depth beneath the weirdness and the story had glimmers of poignancy that writer-director Clark Gregg's film hints at only rarely. Sam Rockwell is certainly game for the material. As he's shown in movies like "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," he's capable of playing characters who are twisted yet likable; there's something dangerous about him, but also kind of sweet.
Here, his Victor Mancini feels like nothing more than a collection of eccentricities. Then again, "Choke" is so cursory and rushed, he doesn't have time to show us much more. That Victor is a sex addict -- who arranges wild trysts through his 12-step meetings -- feels like an attempt to be hip and edgy, to shock us, rather than an integral part of the miserable misfit he's become.
Relationships that took time to percolate come out of nowhere, namely the one between Victor and his mom's doctor, a woman for whom Victor might have real feelings for the first time in his life. As Dr. Paige Marshall, Kelly Macdonald does something similar to her performance in "No Country for Old Men"; but here, a little of that simple, monotone sweetness goes a long way.
As Victor's mother, Ida, Anjelica Huston tries gallantly to infuse the character with depth rather than seeming gratuitously wacky, but the substance just isn't there. R for strong sexual content, nudity and language. 92 min. One and a half stars out of four.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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