Set in a small rugged house centralised around Charlie, a self loathing morbidly obese teacher who's self pity drowns him away from his family. Fraser's acting definitely brings heart to the character and thus the movie's tone is set right. This isn't a movie about a fat guy eating all of the time, this is a caring regretful father trapped in a "Whale" so to speak.
It does bring a underlining of development but as a movie it suddenly became limited. 95% of the film is set in Charlie's house, in his front room no less partial to the kitchen when he needs to eat or makes food. Even though it does set a sense of realism and connection to the character, it does become somewhat bland in certain areas. Characters would come and go like a stage play using the front door as the exit/entrance. All we were missing was the live audience. If this is how the movie was supposed to be set then fair enough, it worked and us viewing the movie from Charlie's point of view worked well enough to feel his alienation and isolation away from the world. That i can understand, it just as a 2 hour movie seemed bland in areas. This would have been better as a 90 minute movie or less. The ending was a little phased out like a finished play and thus the curtains are drawn and the audience claps type of thing. I got the message but it seemed a little quick for a movie.
I wasn't keen on Ellie for most of the movie, a stroppy mentally affected teenager built on trauma made her somewhat evil in certain aspects. The underlining development was that she does have a heart and her father is proud but i couldn't stand her half of the time. It wasn't her anger towards her father that annoyed me as much, that was necessary for the most part. It's just the way she talked sometimes and what she talked about, sometimes she just needed to shut up. Especially with how she talked to Thomas in their first few meetings. Maybe that was just me.
Other actors were also great and the movie gets a solid 8 from me.
It does bring a underlining of development but as a movie it suddenly became limited. 95% of the film is set in Charlie's house, in his front room no less partial to the kitchen when he needs to eat or makes food. Even though it does set a sense of realism and connection to the character, it does become somewhat bland in certain areas. Characters would come and go like a stage play using the front door as the exit/entrance. All we were missing was the live audience. If this is how the movie was supposed to be set then fair enough, it worked and us viewing the movie from Charlie's point of view worked well enough to feel his alienation and isolation away from the world. That i can understand, it just as a 2 hour movie seemed bland in areas. This would have been better as a 90 minute movie or less. The ending was a little phased out like a finished play and thus the curtains are drawn and the audience claps type of thing. I got the message but it seemed a little quick for a movie.
I wasn't keen on Ellie for most of the movie, a stroppy mentally affected teenager built on trauma made her somewhat evil in certain aspects. The underlining development was that she does have a heart and her father is proud but i couldn't stand her half of the time. It wasn't her anger towards her father that annoyed me as much, that was necessary for the most part. It's just the way she talked sometimes and what she talked about, sometimes she just needed to shut up. Especially with how she talked to Thomas in their first few meetings. Maybe that was just me.
Other actors were also great and the movie gets a solid 8 from me.