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IMDbPro

Choking Man

  • 20062006
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
582
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
110,123
24,308
Choking Man (2006)
The social anxiety of a morbidly shy Ecuadorian dishwasher working in a Queens diner provides the psychological engine that powers this blend of drama and magical realism.
Play trailer1:33
1 Video
3 Photos
Drama
The social anxiety of a morbidly shy Ecuadorian dishwasher working in a Queens diner provides the psychological engine that powers this blend of drama and magical realism.The social anxiety of a morbidly shy Ecuadorian dishwasher working in a Queens diner provides the psychological engine that powers this blend of drama and magical realism.The social anxiety of a morbidly shy Ecuadorian dishwasher working in a Queens diner provides the psychological engine that powers this blend of drama and magical realism.
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
582
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
110,123
24,308
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Steve Barron
    • Writer
      • Steve Barron
    • Stars
      • Octavio Gómez Berríos
      • Eugenia Yuan
      • Mandy Patinkin
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Steve Barron
    • Writer
      • Steve Barron
    • Stars
      • Octavio Gómez Berríos
      • Eugenia Yuan
      • Mandy Patinkin
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 10User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Choking Man: Trailer
    Trailer 1:33
    Choking Man: Trailer

    Photos

    Choking Man (2006)
    Mandy Patinkin, Aaron Paul, and Eugenia Yuan in Choking Man (2006)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Octavio Gómez Berríos
    Octavio Gómez Berríos
    • Jorge
    Eugenia Yuan
    Eugenia Yuan
    • Amy
    Mandy Patinkin
    Mandy Patinkin
    • Rick
    Aaron Paul
    Aaron Paul
    • Jerry
    Kate Buddeke
    • Terri
    Philippe Brenninkmeyer
    Philippe Brenninkmeyer
    • Dutch Man
    Rupak Ginn
    Rupak Ginn
    • Din
    Al Roffe
    • Chef
    Mando Alvarado
    Mando Alvarado
    • Stand-In Chef
    Paolo Andino
    Paolo Andino
    • Choking Man
    Russell G. Jones
    Russell G. Jones
    • Subway Man
    Philip Levy
    • Middle-Aged Customer
    John Anthony Ferrara
    • Spoiled Brat
    Ruth Yaffe
    • Female Diner
    • (as Ruth Jaffe)
    Mitchell Greenberg
    • Gene
    Stewart Steinberg
    Stewart Steinberg
    • Gruff Thrift Helper
    Joan Kafer
    • Religious Woman
    Rudy Roberson
    • Kenny
    • Director
      • Steve Barron
    • Writer
      • Steve Barron
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Soundtracks
      Hot Knife
      Brian Scibinico

    User reviews10

    Review
    Top review
    4/10
    Flawed movie, annoying main character, played out atop wonderful score
    I was going thru the cable guide one Saturday night, and I added a bunch of indie films from Sundance and IFC to my DVR record list. I recorded a few movies, and tonight I watched the first- Choking Man. It's the story of an Ecuadorian dishwasher working at a small diner in Queens who suffers from severe social anxiety and falls in love with a new Chinese waitress.

    The film is well made, the director knew what he was doing and the DP did a very nice job of making it all look fantastic. The action was broken up by scenes of animation dominated by bunny rabbits and other odd stuff. Those animated sequences were dream-like, and it all blended together nicely.

    The music was really fantastic- a lot of bells, toy piano sounding stuff, slow yet flowing music that added a nice depth to the action on screen. The music was a character in itself in some places, used aptly to convey a whole slew of emotions that a lot of the character themselves never portrayed all that strongly.

    The movie overall- not all that great. The main character, Jorge who supposedly suffers from morbid shyness…well, he came off as retarded. You would meet someone like this and wonder if there was something wrong with them mentally. Shyness is one thing, but refusing to even look at people or say anything to them when they ask you a question- I've never encountered anyone like that, and if I did I'd probably just assume they suffer from mental retardation and leave it at that.

    The problem with this movie is that Jorge isn't just unlikeable. He's worse. He's annoying. He's SO weird you don't really care what happens to him. I'm sure people like him exist in this world, but they're so far out on the periphery that in a film like this- he almost seems completely fake. The guy just comes off so badly to me that I didn't even want to see him. I would have rather watched scenes from any other character in this movie, as long as Jorge never showed his face.

    That is a major problem for me, and one that cannot be overcome. It's the film's downfall. That and it was weird. There are a number of very odd things that happen in the movie and don't make a lot of sense. Someone will try to say it's deep and thoughtful, and that I just didn't get it. If so- I say 'oh well.' I certainly won't cry over that.
    helpful•11
    16
    • JBoze313
    • Jun 8, 2008

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 14, 2008 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Lanchonete Olympia
    • Filming locations
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Ghost Robot
      • Riley Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $5,474
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,189
      • Nov 11, 2007
    • Gross worldwide
      • $14,632
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 25 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby

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