IMDb > Choke (2008)
Choke
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Choke (2008) More at IMDbPro »

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Choke -- This is the theatrical trailer for Choke, directed by Clark Gregg.
Choke -- Clip: I'm right here
Choke -- Featurette: Chuck Palahniuk
Choke -- Interview: Anjelica Huston "On her reaction to the script"
Choke -- Clip: Look, there's my show

Overview

User Rating:
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Director:
Clark Gregg
Writers (WGA):
Clark Gregg (screenplay)
Chuck Palahniuk (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Choke on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 October 2008 (Australia) See more »
Genre:
Comedy | Drama See more »
Tagline:
From the author of Fight Club
Plot:
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. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
1 win & 5 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(277 articles)
Tff 2013: Trust Me Q & A With Clark Gregg
 (From WeAreMovieGeeks.com. 29 April 2013, 8:46 AM, PDT)
Clark Gregg's 'Trust Me' Is a Movie with Giant Balls
 (From Movies.com. 25 April 2013, 2:15 PM, PDT)
Tribeca Film Festival: Clark Gregg discusses his film 'Trust Me' and coming back as Agent Coulson in 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'
 (From EW.com - Inside Movies. 24 April 2013, 3:43 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Not perfect, but Rockwell shines in this fairly well adapted raunchy tale See more (67 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification)

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

Gillian Jacobs ... Cherry Daiquiri / Beth
Jen Jones ... Old Lady with Note

Jordan Lage ... Mob Member #1

Kelly Macdonald ... Paige Marshall

Matt Malloy ... Detective Foushee

Mary B. McCann ... Detective Dorfman (as Mary Mccann)

Alice Barrett ... Lanky Woman on Airplane (as Alice Barrett Mitchell)

Marty Murphy ... Second Trooper (as Martin Murphy)
Neil Pepe ... Zoo Security Guard

Bijou Phillips ... Ursula

Peggy Pope ... Sister Angela
Denise Raimi ... Pretty Foster Mom

Donald Rizzo ... Guard Captain Norm

Judith Roberts ... Elegant Lady (as Judith Anna Roberts)

Sam Rockwell ... Victor Mancini

Yolonda Ross ... Cute Teacher
Mike S. Ryan ... Lonnie (as Michael S. Ryan)
Solo Scott ... Mob Member #2

Suzanne Shepherd ... Waitress

David Shumbris ... First Trooper

Sebastian Sozzi ... Tito

Kate Udall ... Tall Nurse

Melinda Wade ... Mob Leader

Isiah Whitlock Jr. ... Detective Palmer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Gregory Mikell ... African Waiter
Fast Ali ... Girl in closet (uncredited)
Joseph Basile ... Blacksmith (uncredited)
Allison Karman ... Filthy Wench (uncredited)
Tiffany Rae Larkin ... Tall Nurse (uncredited)

Chuck Palahniuk ... Passenger (uncredited)
Paul Thornton ... Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Erin Anne Williams ... Colonial Villager (uncredited)
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Directed by
Clark Gregg 
 
Writing credits
(WGA)
Clark Gregg (screenplay)

Chuck Palahniuk (novel)

Produced by
Johnathan Dorfman .... producer
Temple Fennell .... producer
Beau Flynn .... producer
Mia Lee .... associate producer
Laurie May .... associate producer
Mike S. Ryan .... executive producer
Derrick Tseng .... executive producer
Gary Ventimiglia .... executive producer
Mary Vernieu .... executive producer
Tripp Vinson .... producer
Lisa Zambri .... associate producer
 
Original Music by
Nathan Larson 
 
Cinematography by
Tim Orr (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Joe Klotz 
 
Casting by
Suzanne Smith 
Mary Vernieu 
Venus Kanani (uncredited)
 
Production Design by
Roshelle Berliner 
 
Art Direction by
Matteo De Cosmo 
 
Set Decoration by
Kate Foster 
 
Costume Design by
Catherine George 
 
Makeup Department
Cyndie Boehm .... assistant makeup artist
Christine Fennell .... key hair stylist
Charles McKenna .... assistant hair stylist (as Charles Mckenna)
Stacey Panepinto .... key makeup artist
 
Production Management
Tony Hernandez .... unit production manager
John Portnoy .... post-production supervisor
Mia Lee .... post-production supervisor (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nicholas R. Bell .... second assistant director
Borjan Jovanovich .... second second assistant director (as Boryan Jovanovich)
Stuart Williams .... first assistant director (as Stuart J.C. Williams)
 
Art Department
Justin Bennett .... set dresser
Naomi Bombardi-Wilson .... art production assistant
David Brenner .... set dresser
Kristin Emery .... charge scenic (as Kristen Emery)
Josh Fifarek .... storyboard artist
Shannon Finnerty .... assistant prop master
Yolan Fisher .... prop master
Eduardo Garabal .... lead dresser
Richard Hebrank .... construction coordinator
John Jackson .... key construction grip
JoJo Li .... additional graphics (as Jojo Li)
Melissa B. Miller .... art department coordinator
Darin J. Patterson .... art production assistant (as Darin Patterson)
Chris Potter .... set dresser
Kevin L. Raper .... graphics (as Kevin Raper)
Brendan K. Russell .... set dresser (as Brendan Russell)
Rene Sekula .... prop assistant
Max Sherwood .... on-set dresser
Mark Sonderskov .... construction coordinator
Brandon Tonner-Connolly .... set dresser (as Brandon T. Connelly)
Adriano Valle .... on-set dresser
Alicia Van Couvering .... additional graphics
Charles Varga .... journeyman scenic (as Chuck Varga)
Gerardo Villarroel .... set dressing production assistant
Cathy Wassylenko .... camera scenic
Uriah Herr .... set dresser (uncredited)
Linette McCown .... sculptor (uncredited)
Linette McCown .... set dresser (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
John Benson .... foley editor
Joey Bilger .... assistant sound editor
Christian Buenaventura .... adr editor
Neil Danziger .... boom operator
Dave Davenport .... post audio coordinator
Albert Gasser .... sound designer
Christof Gebert .... location sound mixer (as Christopher Gebert)
John Green .... dialogue editor
Dave Hancock .... mix technician
Tamara Johnson .... sound re-recording mixer
Bob Lacivita .... adr mixer
Robb Navrides .... adr editor
Bryan Pennington .... sound consultant: Dolby
Griffin Richardson .... additional sound mixer
Steven Stuhr .... dialogue editor (as Steve Stuhr)
Richard Taylor .... supervising sound editor
Jeremy Balko .... adr mixer (uncredited)
Joe Earle .... sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Giles Khan .... additional boom operator (uncredited)
John Soukup .... sound transfer (uncredited)
 
Visual Effects by
Reza Amidi .... digital conform
Reza Amidi .... opticals
Eduardo Cisneros .... imaging technician
Daniel 'Ishi' Cruz .... imaging technician
John Flores .... imaging technician
Alex Hernandez .... imaging technician
Tim Heugle .... data wrangler (as Tim Heugele)
Kevin Lomet .... data wrangler
Ann Lopez .... imaging technician
Elizabeth Ostermann .... digital restoration
John Portnoy .... visual effects: Upload Films
Paola Varvaro .... digital restoration
George Zidd .... data wrangler
 
Stunts
Michael Angelo .... stunts
Paul Marini .... stunt driver
Kimberly Shannon Murphy .... stunts (as Kimberly Shannon-Murphy)
Elliot Santiago .... stunts
Manny Siverio .... stunt coordinator
Jeff Ward .... stunt coordinator
David Shumbris .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Baker .... best boy grip
Maceo Bishop .... Steadicam operator
Steven Capitano Calitri .... camera operator (as Steve Calitri)
Robert Carnevale .... best boy grip (as Bobby Carnevale)
Eric Gearity .... key grip
Robert Gearity .... grip (as Robert T. Gearity)
Corey Gegner .... grip (as Corey Gagner)
Shawn Greene .... gaffer
Paul Grunke .... grip
Melissa Guimaraes .... dolly grip
Lauren Haber .... film loader
Chris Hernandez .... grip
Chris Keenan .... grip (as Christopher T. Keenan)
Meg Kettell .... second assistant camera: "a" camera
Albino Marsetti .... camera operator
James McFadyen .... grip (as James Mcfayden)
Matthew Mendelson .... electric
Jessica Miglio .... still photographer
Jeff Niggemeyer .... generator operator
Colin Oberschmidt .... electric
Matthew Pebler .... film loader (as Matt Pebler)
Fletcher Perry .... grip
Ian Pratt .... grip
Craig Pressgrove .... first assistant camera
Benjamin Salley .... electric (as Ben Salley)
Leo A. Schott III .... grip (as Leo Schott III)
Sean Taylor .... best boy electric
Matthew Van Doren .... grip
Michael Arisohn .... additional electrician (uncredited)
Mark Beattie .... additional electrician (uncredited)
Randolph Carty .... electrician (uncredited)
Nina Kuhn .... gaffer (uncredited)
Alexander Martin .... lighting technician (uncredited)
Toby Miller .... additional electrician (uncredited)
Lara Sfire .... additional electric (uncredited)
John Shim .... additional electrician (uncredited)
Zenfeek .... additional electrician (uncredited)
 
Casting Department
Karen E. Etcoff .... extras casting: Kee Casting
Lindsay Graham .... casting associate: LA
Paul Schnee .... casting associate: NY
Georgia Simon .... adr casting
Bill Tripician .... extras casting assistant
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Diana J. Collins .... wardrobe supervisor
Elizabeth Dran .... costume intern
Cameron Folan .... assistant costume designer
Suzanne Kelly .... set costumer
Lucia Lettini .... set costumer (uncredited)
Susan Wachsler .... costumer (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
John Gardiner .... telecine assistant
Sarah Gibbins .... post-production assistant
Kyle Gilman .... assistant editor
Shannon K. Hall .... dailies project manager
Michael L. Holland .... digital intermediate producer
Joan Malloch .... post-production coordinator
Ira Schweitzer .... colorist: dailies
Duncan Skiles .... post-production assistant
Ann Trulove .... assistant editor
Michael Underwood .... digital film colorist (as Mike Underwood)
Darin Wooldridge .... additional digital colorist: Technicolor
Benjamin Sutor .... digital intermediate editor (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Lyle Hysen .... music supervisor
Gandhar Savur .... music clearances
Ken Weinstein .... music supervisor
Alice Wood .... music editor
 
Transportation Department
Terry Adams .... driver
George Campbell .... driver
Chris Defeo .... driver
Kevin Flynn .... transportation captain
Jim Kelly .... transportation co-captain
Wallace Mosely II .... driver (as Wallace Mosley)
 
Other crew
Richard M. Bartholomay .... location assistant (as Richard Bartholomay)
Barnett Brettler .... location intern (as Michael Brettler)
Robert Broder .... set medic
Chelsea E. Bruce .... intern
Nicholas Bryan .... office production assistant
Danielle Carter .... intern
Sungmi Choi .... intern
Alexandra Church .... assistant: Beau Flynn (as Alex Church)
Wendy Cohen .... product placement and clearances: Production Resources
James Conaboy .... set production assistant
Laura Cramer .... intern
Joe Dapello .... legal services: Schreck Rose Dapello Adams & Hurwitz LLP (as Joseph J. Dapello Esq.)
Deliana Daskalova .... office production assistant
Bethany Dettmore .... location assistant (as Beth Dettmore)
Grace Doherty .... location scout
Moosie Drier .... adr loop group
Marie Durkan .... assistant: Mr. Dapello, Schreck Rose Dapello Adams & Hurwitz LLP
James H. Fitzgerald .... key set production assistant (as James Fitzgerald)
Zoe Ford .... intern
William Day Frank .... assistant: Clark Gregg (as Will Frank)
Eddie Frierson .... adr loop group
Abigail Hansen .... intern
Thalia Harithas .... assistant production office coordinator
Bridget Hoffman .... adr loop group
Katherine Hoskins Mackey .... stand-in: female lead
Joshua Huffman .... production office coordinator
Joe Ireland .... intern
Marabina Jaimes .... adr loop group (as Maribina Jaimes)
Louis Katz .... production physician (as Louis A. Katz M.D.)
Rona Katz .... insurance: D.R. Reiff & Associates
Kirsten Kearse .... script supervisor
Dan Lasik .... chef
Jenny Lovin .... accounting production assistant
Peter Madamba .... script clearance: Act One Script Clearance
Luke Marion .... key set production assistant
Keith Marlin .... set production assistant
Laura Martinez .... assistant: Tripp Vinson
Seane McFarland .... technical advisor (as Seane Mcfarland)
Ross Miller .... insurance: D.R. Reiff & Associates
Paul Myers .... first assistant accountant
Claire Newlands .... intern
David Occhino .... assistant location manager
David Phillip .... parking coordinator
Jorge Pina .... chef
John Portnoy .... titles: Upload Films
Buck P.B.D. Rodgers .... production assistant
Michelle Ruff .... adr loop group
Alan D. Sacks .... legal services: Schreck Rose Dapello Adams & Hurwitz LLP (as Alan D. Sacks Esq.)
Maher Sattar .... intern
Jonathan Schwartz .... intern
Jay Scrimmizi .... location intern (as Jay Scrimizzi)
Luke Tomalin Sherman .... set production assistant (as Luke T. Sherman)
Georgia Simon .... adr loop group
John Skidmore .... production secretary
Skip Stellrecht .... adr loop group
Anthony Torre .... chef
Samantha Treiber .... set production assistant
Alicia Van Couvering .... assistant to executive producers
Lauren Vanderschuur .... set production assistant (as Lauren D. Vanderschuur)
Natalie M. Vasquez .... intern
Gregory Walsh .... location intern
Josh Wasserman .... location intern
Jeffrey M. Weber .... set production assistant
Kathy Welch .... post production accountant
Michael Wiggins .... production accountant
Tucker Williams .... assistant: Lisa Zambri
Danielle Wilson .... craft service
Amy Wolk .... on-set tutor: On Location Education
Dennis Yeandle .... set medic
Louis Zuppardi .... location manager
Jaclyn Bashoff .... assistant: Anjelica Huston (uncredited)
Cristal Calderon .... production assistant (uncredited)
Maureen Duffy .... completion guarantor (uncredited)
Logan Wolfe Edler .... production assistant (uncredited)
Richard T. Lynch .... production assistant (uncredited)
R. Zachary Shildwachter .... additional production assistant (uncredited)
 
Thanks
Johann Benét .... very special thanks
Guilherme Campellon .... special thanks
Michael J. Fox .... thanks
Steven Gorelick .... special thanks
Kristen Konvitz .... the producers wish to thank
David Mamet .... thanks
Agnès Mentre .... the producers wish to thank
Chuck Palahniuk .... the producers wish to thank
Don Roos .... thanks
Jessica Sobhraj .... thanks
Ed Solomon .... the producers wish to thank
 

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Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
MPAA:
Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity and language
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
92 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (DeLuxe)
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #44083) | UK:18 | Ireland:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Singapore:R21 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Brazil:18 | Australia:R | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:18 | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | France:U (with warning) | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Italy:VM14 | Singapore:M18 (edited version)
Filming Locations:
Essex County Hospital Center - 204 Grove Avenue, Cedar Grove, New Jersey, USASee more »
Company:
Fox Searchlight PicturesSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Shot in three weeks.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: 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.See more »
Quotes:
Victor Mancini:I wish I could say I left the circuit completely behind me, but that wouldn't be entirely true.See more »
Movie Connections:
References Groundhog Day (1993)See more »
Soundtrack:
Navy NurseSee more »

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Is "Choke" based on a book?
What songs play in the trailer?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
25 out of 37 people found the following review useful.
Not perfect, but Rockwell shines in this fairly well adapted raunchy tale, 26 September 2008
Author: DonFishies from Canada

Choke tells the story of Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell), a sex addict working in a colonial times reproduction. His mother, Ida (Anjelica Huston), suffers from dementia, and spends most of her time thinking Victor is someone else (mainly long dead lawyers) during his frequent visits to the hospital. To pay the bills, Mancini has a bit of a unique talent: he chokes on food in swanky restaurants, and practically forces innocent bystanders into saving him from death.

I read the book Choke a few years ago, thinking it would be same in vain to writer Chuck Palahniuk's near flawless Fight Club (and of course, David Fincher's incredible film). But Choke was nothing like it, and anyone going to see the film thinking it will be is in for a disappointment.

But like Fight Club before it, Choke is adapted quite well from its raunchy source material. The story is quite liberally changed in some instances, but in others, it is an almost literal recreation. Mancini is a well-rounded character, with bizarrely comic traits that are pure Palahniuk. I found myself almost crying from laughing so hard at the comic mishappenings he got himself into, frequently calling back to the events in the book. It was strange however that so little an amount of time is spent on the choking that Mancini has down practically to an art form, but then its off-the-rails, frank portrayal of sex was always much stronger. First-time director Clark Gregg does an excellent job making this character so true to Palahniuk's work that you can forgive him for glossing off something so integral to the plot (but at least it makes for a whole lot less convoluted, confusing and downright silly third act). Gregg's addition of the little idiosyncrasies of Mancini's lifestyle (small cuts to previous sexual encounters, frequent breast-filled day dreams) only further strengthens how close the film cuts to its source material.

But despite being 92 minutes long, I think Gregg could have done with a touch more editing. The film is not lengthy at all (many sequences practically zip by in the hyper-kinetic sense of Fight Club before it), but the film feels quite long in some instances. Despite their importance to the story, the flashback sequences involving a much younger looking Huston and young Victor (playing by Jonah Bobo) drag on endlessly, nearly losing their train of thought mid-scene. Some of the scenes between Mancini and Ida's doctor, Paige Marshall (Kelly Macdonald), also have a habit of dragging their heels. Some cuts here and there in these scenes could have only benefited the film. As well, Gregg's doing away with the third act leaves some subplots hanging in the balance, never to fully integrate themselves with the film as a whole. Non-readers may not even notice some of them (including one glaring omission), but it may strike those who have read it as quite odd.

The supporting cast is pretty well rounded. Macdonald does a great job in her scenes, as do Bijou Phillips in a small role as one of Mancini's co-workers, and Gregg himself as the lead character in the colonial times reproduction. I had failed to realize it was him when watching the film, but he brings a special greatness to every one of his character's lines.

I was a little disappointed however in Brad William Henke's portrayal of Mancini's friend Denny however. Not because Henke does a bad job in the role, but because he does not get nearly enough time on screen. He steals many of his scenes, and seems to know just how to frame Denny, frequently shifting from the downtrodden weakling of a sidekick, to the strong willed individual Mancini wishes he could be. Henke is having fun in the goofy role, and it is obvious that he is very comfortable doing it. He does not have a whole lot of credits on his filmography, but I can only help this role makes him a lot more accessible in Hollywood. More scenes could have only reinforced the notion.

Huston, looking much older than usual for the majority of the film, is excellent in her portrayal of Ida. She does not look to be doing much, but the emotions she conveys simply through her facial movements and expressions is enough to suggest that she is doing more than simply phoning in her performance. The role may not seem too tough, but she pulls it off without breaking a sweat. Despite disliking the flashback scenes, they only further developed her character into the closet psycho she is so great at playing.

But the movie rests on Rockwell's shoulders, and he is clearly up to the task. The breath of life he gives Victor Mancini is almost poetic in how personal it looks and sounds. No, he does not give the same energy that Brad Pitt does as Tyler Durdan, but this does not seem to bother Rockwell in the least. He plays Mancini just the way he needs to in order to make him a believable regular guy, suffering from addiction problems and his need to please his overbearing mother even as she is slowly withering away. You can see the pain in his face right from minute one, and never once does he let us take this idealism for granted. He uses it and characterizes Mancini with a great breadth of thought not regularly seen in contemporary American cinema.

While it is not perfect at all, Choke is a wonderfully valiant attempt at recapturing the nearly demented nature of a Palahniuk book. His unique voice is captured quite fluidly within the film, and writer/director Gregg can be quite proud of his work here. With the help of a great supporting cast, Rockwell practically lights up the screen in a way that only further proves his greatness as an actor.

7/10.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Choke (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Did anyone watch this without reading the book? annaFTW
Who would have made a better Victor? mafu82
Absolutely horrible WiseOne-4
New Chuck P film coming? mikeinamelody
How was Paige going to cure Victor's mother through sex? amatuer_zombie
missing the best climax of all Palahniuk's work jimmyjameson8
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