The Whale Movie Review (spoilery)

I don't usually post movie reviews here but I suspect this movie may be of interest to many of us so I thought I would share. I will try to avoid detailed spoilers but some of the themes may be spoilery so I've tagged the title with that. Keep reading at your own risk!
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I did not like this movie and I would not recommend it, which makes me sad because I think Brendan Fraser is incredible in it. I know there's been some commentary about couldn't they have found an appropriately sized actor vs using prosthetics and I don't know the answer to that. I cannot think if an actor that could have carried this whole movie as well as he did, though. His character has to run the gamut of all the emotions despair to joy, hope to self disgust, anger, apologetic and he does a masterful job. His two female costars are also excellent. Sadie Sink is young in her career but I think she's going to make a huge mark on the acting world.

The general story line is that this man is in the last week of his life and desperate to connect with his estranged daughter before he comes to the end. I thought some of the portrayals of the challenges of being a person of size were well done. Everything is just harder when it's difficult to move and they captured that well. Unfortunately, I also think they took the TLC "my 600 lb life" route far too many times and really spent too much time on showing bingeing, showering, gratuitous body shots and that took away from the core of the movie. I really think a more sensitive director could have told a great story without so much of the misery porn.

There's also a really weak subplot about trying to save his soul before the end.

I think it had the heart of an incredible story about connections, relationships, co-dependence but they focused way to much on his binging/purging and treated the character like he was some kind of grotesque zoo exhibition. If they had not done that, I think the story was a good one but they lost the story (and me) in the "look at the spectacle" filming.

Very interested in other's thoughts if you see it.

Thank you for the review. I was on the fence abou****ching, and now I won't.

Obesity is one of the few subjects that Hollywood still feels its OK to stigmatize. They usually just go for either the easy laugh or jeer. It just hits too close to home.

I like tv and films that provide hope, humor, or just simple escapism. If they can educate and inspire, all the better. Sadly, it's not going to happen with The Whale.

Thank you for the review, this one hasn't appealed at all. I got the gawker vibe from the clips I saw.

I get starred at a lot so I get real iffy about movies like this.

There's something about a good movie discussion that really gets the wheels turning, isn't there? I remember when I watched a thought-provoking film with friends, and we spent hours dissecting every detail afterward.