Thinner (1996)

An obese attorney is cursed by a gypsy to rapidly and uncontrollably lose weight.

Director:

Tom Holland

Writers:

Stephen King (novel), Michael McDowell (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert John Burke, Joe Mantegna, Lucinda Jenney

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert John Burke	...	Billy Halleck
Lucinda Jenney	...	Heidi Halleck
Bethany Joy Lenz	...	Linda Halleck (as Joy Lenz)
Time Winters	...	Prosecutor
Howard Erskine	...	Judge Phillips
Joe Mantegna	...	Richie Ginelli
Terrence Garmey	...	Bailiff
Randy Jurgensen	...	Court Clerk
Jeffrey Ware	...	Max Duggenfield (as Jeff Ware)
Antonette Schwartzberg	...	Mama Ginelli
Terence Kava	...	Gabe Lempke (as Terrence Kava)
Kari Wuhrer	...	Gina Lempke
Adriana Delphine	...	Gypsy Woman
Ruth Miller	...	Billy's Secretary
Walter Bobbie	...	Kirk Penschley

Storyline

A fat Lawyer finds himself growing "Thinner" when an old gypsy man places a hex on him. Now the lawyer must call upon his friends in organized crime to help him persuade the gypsy to lift the curse. Time is running out for the desperate lawyer as he draws closer to his own death, and grows ever thinner.

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Plot Keywords:

female stockinged legs | pantyhose | psychological thriller | overweight | fat man | 

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Taglines:

More terror. Less filling.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horror violence and gore, language and sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stephen King: the author appears as Dr. Bangor, a pharmacist. Bangor, Maine, is where King lives.

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Goofs

After Gina shoots Billy in the hand, he holds it up. to where you can see through it. Part of the bone should be visible. If the bone is gone, why does his middle finger still work?

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Quotes

Billy Halleck: Richie, this is getting out of hand!
Richie Ginelli: No, this has BEEN out of hand, and I'm just the guy to put it back *in* hand.

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Connections

Referenced in Pop Culture Beast's Halloween Horror Picks: The Body Snatcher (2015)

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Soundtracks

Fiddler's Game
Written by Thomas Chase (as Thomas Jones-Chase), Steve Rucker, Ezra Kliger
Performed by Thomas Chase (as Thomas Jones-Chase) & Steve Rucker
Courtesy of C.R.P., Inc.

User Reviews

Decent Thriller, Doesn't Live Up to Book

I saw this movie on TV a few years back. I'd read the book before seeing the movie, and I've read the book a second time recently, after seeing the movie. And I think I can safely say that 'Thinner' is a decent attempt, but doesn't live up to the book.

The movie is based on Stephen King's 'Thinner'. It is based around an obese small-town lawyer, Billy Halleck (Robert Burke), who has a curse put on him by a gypsy (Michael Constantine), after running over his daughter with his car. Halleck leaves his wife (Lucinda Jenny) and daughter (Joie Lenz), to find the gypsy and get the curse that is steadily making him thin reversed, before it is too late.

Like another reviewer said, this movie seems really TV movie-ish. The only actor I recognize in this movie is the typecasted Joe Mantegna. The rest I've never heard of before or since this movie. For the most part the movie is faithful to the book. But, it lacks much of the vivid detail of the book. Also, the main character is far more tame in the movie. Though, as I said, most of the actors I've never heard of before or since, they do a very good job in this movie. After seeing the movie, I can't picture anyone else playing the roles they did. And the make-up effects are amazing.

Overall, a decent movie. Could've better captured the spirit of the book. You could find a worse way to spend two hours.

Rating: 7/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Thinner

Filming Locations:

Appleton, Maine, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,679,046, 27 October 1996

Gross USA:

$15,315,484

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,315,484

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Spelling Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1