The Whale

Spoilers

2022's THE WHALE is one of the most shameless panders to the Academy I've seen in some time.  Folks these days would call it "Oscar bait", and while I'm not fond of such phrases, being another of what I call lazy film criticism (see also: "white savior", "spiritual sequel", "needle drop"), it really fits.  My issues with this film are almost entirely with Stephen D. Hunter's screenplay, an adaptation of his play.  The clunky, obvious symbolism he employs is symbiotic with the usual method of director Darren Aronofsky, not exactly known for subtlety.  A more low key,suggestive approach would've suited this material far better.

How does one make a sensitive, non-exploitive movie about a grossly obese man who never leaves his apartment? I would imagine it is possible.  If I had made this, I would not be so ready to show his deformity.  Glimpses only.  I would've also left out the inevitable binge eating scene, common to stories about "fat" people both comedic (THE NUTTY PROFESSOR, the Eddie Murphy remake) and seriocomic (the all but forgotten FATSO, with Dom DeLuise). Hunter nails all the cliches, and Aronofsky, while doing an excellent job at setting the drab and defeated scene, is all too willing to realize them, set to Rob Simonsen's manipulative score.

So there actually was a dry eye in the house, invisible audience. 

Charlie (Brendan Fraser) had given up on life after his boyfriend was murdered, by members of a local church congregation, no less.   He would subsequently gain hundreds of pounds, teaching English classes remotely, with the webcam turned off.  Years earlier, he had left his wife Mary (Samantha Morton) and daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) for said lover.  Charlie's only friend is Liz (Hong Chau), a nurse who repeatedly urges him to get medical attention, especially when his systolic spikes over two hundred.  He refuses, and she continues tough love, though also brings him meatball subs, knowing the inevitable will come down at any moment.

Ellie, long estranged, pops in one day, insults him, and announces she may not graduate high school.  Charlie offers to give her his life savings if she will regularly visit him.  She agrees on the condition that he also does her homework.  She seems to be a smart kid, just unmotivated and pissed.  Mom is an apparent alcoholic.

A young man named Thomas (Ty Simpkins), a missionary from the aforementioned church, also makes regular visits, trying to bring Charlie to Christ.   This plot thread is the most intriguing, but felt incomplete, and did not have a satisfactory resolution.

Neither does the entirety of THE WHALE, its title inspired by Moby Dick, which was reviewed by eight year old Ellie in a book report Charlie still clutches to his breast closer than any old Bible.  While the characters are interesting to watch and Aronofsky's direction is involving, the script and dialogue defeat everything.  Leading to one of the most absurd final scenes in recent memory.  It's so over the top it plays like parody, and got quite a laugh out of me.  Not at all intentional, I would guess.

The performances, lead by Fraser's heartfelt (and justifiably praised) portrayal, are very good.  That they transcend their unlikeability is quite remarkable.