• Consequence
  • Music
  • Film
  • TV
  • Heavy
Menu Consequence
Menu Shop Search Newsletter
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Live
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Contest
Advertisement
  • Features
  • Film Reviews

The Whale Review: Brendan Fraser Can’t Save Darren Aronofsky’s Failure of Empathy

The real star of the upcoming A24 film is, sadly, the fat suit

The Whale Review Brendan Fraser
C-

Directed by

  • Darren Aronofsky

Release Date

  • December 9, 2022

Cast

  • Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, Samantha Morton

Studio

  • Protozoa Pictures, A24
Sarah Kurchak
September 13, 2022 | 11:34am ET

    This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.


    The Pitch: To his online students, Charlie (Brendan Fraser) is a barely tolerable expository writing instructor with a little too much emotional investment in the power of truthful writing and a perpetually broken webcam. Behind the black square in the middle of their Zoom meetings, Charlie is a 600-pound recluse whose only visitors are his best friend Liz (Hong Chau), his regular pizza delivery person, and a door-to-door evangelist who becomes oddly fixated on saving him (Ty Simpkins).

    When Charlie’s health begins to rapidly deteriorate, because he is fat, Liz, who is a nurse, begs him to go to the hospital. But he has no interest in treatment. Instead, he reaches out to his estranged daughter (Sadie Sink) to make one last desperate attempt to connect with her in the time he has left on this earth in his fat body. Also, Charlie is very fat.

    Related Video

    The Good News: Darren Aronofsky‘s cinematic adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s play of the same name, for which Hunter wrote the screenplay, is at least a little better than the oddly quippy repertory productions you can find on YouTube. It’s staged and shot in a way that makes solid use of its single set, and everyone in the small cast brings their A game, especially Hong Chau, who at this point appears to be incapable of turning in anything less than a stellar performance.

    Advertisement

    As for Brendan Fraser, his big comeback performance often comes close to living up to the substantial and snowballing hype it’s received so far. In fact, he’s so good — so utterly human — in the role that it might obfuscate the extent of the problems with this film for many viewers. Any feelings that you are able to connect to Charlie, beyond disgust or pity, are 100 percent due to Fraser’s efforts. Those substantial efforts aren’t enough to overcome the rot at the heart of this film, though.

    The Elephant in the Room: We have to talk about the fat suit. It’s not a simple bit of extra set dressing or a minor misstep. Given the way the suit is shot — with so many lingering closeups on Charlie’s ankles, neck, and belly — it’s arguably the actual star of the film. There’s really no aspect of The Whale that isn’t influenced by its presence.

    The story suffers because it’s written and adapted for the screen by a thin man who decided to make his main character fat because he presumed that the majority of audience members would feel an instant distance from him and the writer could, over the course of the play, challenge them to empathize with his creation. (This isn’t conjecture. Hunter has said this himself.)

    Advertisement

    The Whale Review Brendan Fraser

    The Whale (A24)

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
Advertisement

More on this topic

  • Brendan Fraser
  • Darren Aronofsky
  • Hong Chau
  • Sadie Sink
  • Toronto International Film Festival

Sign up for updates

Subscribe to our email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.

Advertisement

Popular Stories

Latest Stories

A-
werewolf by night review marvel disney plus special presentation halloween special

Werewolf by Night Is a Marvelous Monster Mash: Review

October 6, 2022

B
Hellraiser Review Jamie Clayton Hulu

Hellraiser Review: A True Reboot That's Pretty Darned Good

October 5, 2022

C+
david o russell amsterdam film first look release date

Not Even An All-Star Cast Can Save David O. Russell's Amsterdam: Review

October 4, 2022

B+
White Noise Review

NYFF Review: Noah Baumbach Delightfully Skewers Our Fear of Death in White Noise

October 3, 2022

B+
Till Review Danielle Deadwyler

Till Digs Into a Deeply Shameful, Deeply American Tragedy: Review

October 1, 2022

B-
Master Gardener Review Paul Schrader

Paul Schrader's Master Gardener Treads Very Familiar Soil: Review

October 1, 2022

A-
Decision to Leave Review

Chan-wook Park's Decision to Leave Is a Sizzling Romantic Thriller: Review

September 30, 2022

D+
Greatest Beer Run Ever Review

The Greatest Beer Run Ever Is a Pretty Likeable Movie, and That's a Huge Problem: Review

September 30, 2022

Advertisement

News

  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture

Reviews

  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews

Features

  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week

Live

  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear

Heavy

  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts

More

  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Wellness
  • Giveaways

Other sites

  • Heavy Consequence
  • Consequence Media
  • Modern Drummer
  • About
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertising
  • Work For Us
  • Terms
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Download our app

  • Get it on the App Store
  • Get it on Google Play
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Consequence
Current story

The Whale Review: Brendan Fraser Can't Save Darren Aronofsky's Failure of Empathy

Menu Shop Search Newsletter
Consequence
News
  • News
  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
Reviews
  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews
Features
  • All Features
  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week
Live
  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear
Podcasts
  • The Opus
  • Kyle Meredith With...
  • Stanning BTS
  • The Story Behind the Song
  • The What
  • Going There with Dr. Mike
  • The Rome and Duddy Show
Videos
  • Interviews
  • Two for the Road
  • First Time I Heard
  • When I Made
  • Battle of the Bandmates
  • Peer 2 Peer
  • Essays
  • Fan Theories
Heavy
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts
  • Premieres
  • Culture
  • Beyond the Boys Club
  • Mining Metal
Shop
  • Shop
  • Giveaways

Follow Consequence

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Close
Close
 

Loading Comments...