Choke is another novel from author Chuck Palahniuk (writer of Fight Club) to become a big screen movie. In the movie, Sam Rockwell plays Victor Mancini, a sex-addicted con-artist that works at a Colonial theme park. Victor pretends to choke at up-scale restaurants in hopes of seeking out “saviors” to rescue him from his chocking. These saviors stay in touch with Victor and send money to him throughout the year. He calls it “soul cleaning” as it helps the saviors with any guilt they may have and refreshes their lives for remember the one time they did something brave.

Using this money along with his work paycheck he is able to keep his mother Ida (played by Anjelica Huston) in the state run mental hospital she is a patient in. Ida believes Victor is her various lawyers when visiting due to her Alzheimer’s as her symptoms seem to be getting worse. During one of his visits he bumps into the new doctor taking care of his mom, Dr. Paige Marshall (played by Kelly Macdonald).

On top of his mom’s medical issues, Victor also attends the weekly Sex Addicts class which is run by Phil (played by Joel Grey). Phil teaches that there is more to life then just having Sex. Too bad Victor isn’t paying attention as he is mainly there to pick up the women that are willing to do anything, anywhere, with him.

His work life isn’t the best there is. He works as a tour guide at a Colonial theme park. His best friend Denny (played by Brad William Henke) is having problems with their boss Lord High Charlie (played by Clark Gregg). Meanwhile, Victor wants to hook up with Ursula (played by the very lovely Bijou Phillips) and can’t seem to get the time of day from her.

Going into this movie I had no clue what to expect except for what I saw in the Red Band trailer. I was surprised at how well this story was put together. I have to say that there is lots of sexual intercourse throughout this film but the movie isn’t pornographic in the least so it doesn’t feel like one long skin-a-max movie. There are bright spots of comedy that enhance the story while showing the absurd nature that is Victor’s life.

Choke is opening in limited release on Friday, September 26th, so check your local listings to see if it is available in your area. Clark Gregg, not only acting, also wrote the screenplay and directed this wonderful oddball of a movie. Choke is rated R for sex, nudity, and adult language and situations with a run time of 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Legendary writer of Fight Club also gave us a lesser known book named Choke. Check out the trailer for the new movie.

Synopsis: Actor-turned-director Clark Gregg shows he is as adept behind the camera as in front of it with Choke, a wickedly colorful dark comedy about mothers and sons, sexual compulsion, and the sordid underbelly of Colonial theme parks.

Victor Mancini, a sex-addicted med-school dropout, keeps his increasingly deranged mother, Ida, in an expensive private mental hospital by working days as a historical reenactor. At night he runs a scam where he deliberately chokes in upscale restaurants to form parasitic relationships with the wealthy patrons who “save” him. When, in a rare lucid moment, Ida reveals that she has withheld the shocking truth of his father’s identity, Victor must enlist the aid of his best friend, Denny, a recovering chronic masturbator, and his mother’s beautiful attending physician, Dr. Paige Marshall, to solve this mystery before the truth of his possibly divine parentage is lost forever.

Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Chuck Palahniuk, Choke tickles the funny bone as it dives into darker areas of human behavior. At the heart of the film is yet another staggering performance by Sam Rockwell as Victor. He fully inhabits the character and nails both the comedic and dramatic aspects with indelible timing and delivery. A delicious blend of fresh writing, juicy performances, and sharp directing, Choke is actually quite easy to swallow.

The trailer can be found here.

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, Clark Gregg, Heather Burns, Brad William Henke, Joel Grey, Gillian Jacobs

Director: Clark Gregg

Screenwriter: Clark Gregg

Studio: Fox Searchlight