Choke (2008)

A sex-addicted con-man pays for his mother's hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who rescue him from choking to death.

Director:

Clark Gregg

Writers:

Clark Gregg (screenplay), Chuck Palahniuk (novel)

Stars:

Kathryn Alexander, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kathryn Alexander	...	Mousy Girl / Agnes
Teodorina Bello	...	Jamaican Lady
Kate Blumberg	...	Edwin's Wife
Jonah Bobo	...	Young Victor
Willi Burke	...	Deranged Socialite (as Wilma 'Willi' Burke)
Heather Burns	...	Internet Date / Gwen
David Fonteno	...	Edwin
Matt Gerald	...	Detective Ryan
Clark Gregg	...	Lord High Charlie
Joel Grey	...	Phil
Viola Harris	...	Eva Muller
Brad William Henke	...	Denny
Paz de la Huerta	...	Nico (as Paz De La Huerta)
Michelle Hurst	...	Shapely Nurse
Anjelica Huston	...	Ida J. Mancini

Storyline

Sex addict and colonial theme park worker, Victor Mancini, has devised a complicated scam to pay for his mom's hospital bills while she suffers from an Alzheimer's disease that hides the truth about his childhood. He pretends to choke on food in a restaurant and the person who "saves" him will feel responsible for Victor for the rest of their lives.

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Plot Keywords:

hospital | choking | restaurant | scam | best friend | 

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Taglines:

From the author of Fight Club

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox [fr] Fox Searchlight Pictures [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 2008 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Asfixia

Filming Locations:

Essex County Hospital Center - 204 Grove Avenue, Cedar Grove, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,319,286 (USA) (26 September 2008)

Gross:

$2,926,565 (USA) (21 November 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, ATO Pictures, Contrafilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the DVD commentary, director Clark Gregg said he offered the role of the naked woman at the bathroom plane who caused Victor's addiction to his wife Jennifer Grey. She replied with: "Are you out of your mind?"

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Goofs

In the scene where Victor played the rapist to a woman's fantasy of rape. In the first angle, the frustrated woman grabbed Victor's hand, which was holding the knife, so that it would be placed at her neck, then proceeded to use the vibrator on herself. Then when Victor says, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what about me?" the angle changed and focused on the woman, in which Victor's hand and the knife weren't anywhere to be seen. In the next shot, Victor had his hand and knife at her neck again.

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Quotes

Phil: You might not think the best way to spend your first day of freedom after a lengthy incarceration would be to immediately resume stalking the tranny hooker who knocked out six teeth and had you put away to begin with. That's how I roll.

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Connections

References Groundhog Day (1993)

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Soundtracks

"Reckoner"
Written by Thom Yorke (as Thomas Yorke), Jonny Greenwood (as Jonathan Greenwood),
Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien (as Edward O'Brien) and Phil Selway (as Philip Selway)
Performed by Radiohead
Under license from Warner/Chappell Music LTD

User Reviews

A movie a mature audience will enjoy

Chuck Palahniuk appeals to a younger audience? I thought this movie was very well written, very well acted and dark and disturbing. I will add this book to my must read.

I guess I'm a Sam Rockwell fan, and the reason I desperately wanted to watch this movie and it was only after watching it did I realize this was based on a book. The movie stands alone very well. I just can't stop thinking about it. I never believed Victor (Sam Rockwell) to be a disgusting human being, I saw him as flawed, horribly flawed, misunderstood, imperfect and what else can you expect when your mother was completely insane.

I thought Choke was a phenomenal movie, with amazing depth of character and insight about mental illness. Victor is a sex addict, so there is an awful lot of sex in the movie - if this bothers you, then do not bother. You will need an open mind to enjoy this movie.

The comments here on IMDb are extremely disappointing, so please do not bother reading them.