X
- 2022
- R
- A24
- 1 h 57 m
- 2022
- R
- A24
- 1 h 57 m
Summary A reclusive English teacher (Brendan Fraser) living with severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.
Directed By: Darren Aronofsky
Written By: Samuel D. Hunter
- 2022
- R
- A24
- 1 h 57 m
- 2022
- R
- A24
- 1 h 57 m
The Whale
60
7.4
Where to Watch
Summary A reclusive English teacher (Brendan Fraser) living with severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.
Directed By: Darren Aronofsky
Written By: Samuel D. Hunter
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 57 Critic Reviews
60
46% Positive
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
40% Mixed
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
14% Negative
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 57 Critic Reviews
60
46% Positive
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
40% Mixed
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
14% Negative
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
The cast’s commitment throughout The Whale allows Aronofsky to create a tearful experience.
The Whale is Aronofsky at his most trimmed down.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 190 User Ratings
7.4
74% Positive
140 Ratings
140 Ratings
18% Mixed
35 Ratings
35 Ratings
8% Negative
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 190 User Ratings
7.4
74% Positive
140 Ratings
140 Ratings
18% Mixed
35 Ratings
35 Ratings
8% Negative
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
Simply an extraordinary film. Having seen Aronofsky’s previous works, I anticipated excess in camera work, jarring editing, and self-indulgence but was left stunned at his conscious restraint. There are certainly moments where his particular style shines through - namely in the face-forward, almost testimonial-like character shots - but overall, he’s willingly taken a backseat to his actors and their sole, bleak yet masterfully nuanced backdrop. Brendan Fraser’s portrayal of Charlie is masterful - so complex, so poignant, so powerful. The supporting cast - especially Hong Chau - similarly rise to the occasion. There has been much debate about what message Charlie’s story is supposed to send. Is it hope? Is it redemption? Is it love? Is it pain? Is it desperation? Is it rejection? Is it despondence? Is it a loss of faith in humanity? Is it a criticism of organized religion? The answer is “yes.” It’s all of these things. Aronofsky has chosen to leave the viewer responsible for reconciling the contradictions therein, and in doing so, has created a film worthy of infinite interpretations.
Report
Buried in a “fat suit,” his physical acting limited to the life of immobility Charlie has sentenced himself to, Fraser will break your heart playing the character’s pain and compassion.
Here, in short, is a self-regarding drama of self-loathing: hardly the most appetizing prospect. If it proves nonetheless to be stirringly watchable, we have Brendan Fraser to thank.
The Whale’s raison d’etre seems to be about being the engine driving Fraser’s long-awaited resurgence. Beyond that there’s nothing much to see.
In The Whale, Aronofsky posits his sadism as an intellectual experiment, challenging viewers to find the humanity buried under Charlie’s thick layers of fat. That’s not as benevolent of a premise as he seems to think it is. It proceeds from the assumption that a 600-pound man is inherently unlovable.
The director of shockers such as Requiem for a Dream and Mother! has had his mainstream moments, but he has never before been quite so at home to tawdry soap opera.
Brendan Fraser deserves a 10, but the movie a 6. The story lacks that, story. Yes, the story is beautiful, but it doesn't go much further, we see the case of a devastated person after a loss and how he tries, through rebuilding his relationship with his daughter, to redeem himself from his mistakes and "heal". But it doesn't go beyond that.
Report
The performances here in The Whale are so fantastic that they deserve better material.
Report
(Mauro Lanari)
Blackmail and manipulative theater pièce, further weighed down by a quintal of prosthetics and even more spiritually sick than "The Fountain" [2006]. Another crap of the couple Aronofsky and A24.
Report
Production Company
A24,
Protozoa Pictures
Release Date Dec 9, 2022
Duration 1 h 57 m
Rating R
Genres
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Indiana Film Journalists Association, US
• 7 Nominations
