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

1 nomination.

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
Jeff Ware	...	Max Duggenfield
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 | gypsy | lawyer | 

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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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stephen King's Thinner

Filming Locations:

Appleton, Maine, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,679,046, 27 October 1996, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$15,171,475, 9 February 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Spelling Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Bethany Joy Lenz, credited as Joy Lenz.

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Goofs

Towards the end of the film, Billy's right hand is still bandaged and bleeding before a knife is stuck into the wound to open it again, yet later on his hand is not only without any dressing, but with no visible scar at what is apparently only a few days later.

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Quotes

Heidi Halleck: Billy, you've got to stop eating like that. I want you to stop digging your grave with a spoon and fork.

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Connections

Features Breakfast Time (1994)

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Soundtracks

Ballade
Written and Performed by Crispin Merrell
Courtesy of Audio Action

User Reviews

Thin on scares, fat on laughs!

I didn't know what to expect from "Thinner". Firstly when I saw it in the "What's On TV" magazine I thought of it as a serious horror film, that sounded quite eerie. You know, a man slowly getting thinner and thinner, and then of course it's Stephen King which is never a bad thing, and then it had 4 stars and so i thought that this film could have potential! But then I look at IMDb's rating and it's very below average so I was wary. Thankfully I was relieved when I turned it on and the first thing I saw was this clearly slim man in a ridiculous fat suit and I laughed.

I pretty much laughed all the way through. There's no denying that "Thinner" (unintentially or not) is a very funny film. You only have to look at the man and laugh at those incredible hamster-type cheeks! The fat suit is hilariously bad, not a patch on the one that Eddie Murphey wears in "The Nutty Professor". The man's facial expressions also had me rolling down the aisles (well, 'the sitting room') in every shot his eyes were wide and gleaming like he's just seen a massive slice of cake! His smile was also hideous. He looked like "The Joker" out of "Batman". Even when he's eventually thin, he still wears those awful eyes and smile. The guy's a slug.

The special make-up effects are very special indeed. A film like "Thinner" relies on the make-up effects. That's what made David Cronenberg's "The Fly" so amazing. Yet, the effects on "Thinner" are almost as bad as the fat effects. One man has terrible rubber boils over his face and his hand looks like a dinosaur stump. The 'thin' effects are also quite horrendous too. Thanks to "Thinner's" visuals you're always sure of a laugh. I can't tell if we're meant to be taking this film seriously or not.

And then there's the awful screenplay that always seems to fight for the chance to see Mr.Lawyer literally stuffing his face with food. Though, it doesn't help that all the actors are terrible, with the gypsy looking like 'Grandad' out of "Mrs Brown's Boys" only with hair more luscious. Every character is a stereotype and the actor's seem to live up to that. No one asks questions like, "Why have you bought home a pie?" They just accept that and eat it.

In all seriousness, "Thinner" could have been a horror classic rather than a horror cult classic. It could've been a chilling fable of greed and the price you pay for it. Instead we get a hugely entertaining film that offers no scares what so ever. "Thinner" is a hard film to rate because critically it's awful, but then again I had a ball watching this film and would happily watch it again. "Thinner" never bores, and the ending is actually pretty good. For guaranteed laughs, don't miss "Thinner".