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IMDbPro

Choke

  • 20082008
  • RR
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
33K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
9,246
1,144
Choke (2008)
This is the theatrical trailer for Choke, directed by Clark Gregg.
Play trailer2:10
13 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyDrama
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
33K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
9,246
1,144
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Clark Gregg
    • Writers
      • Clark Gregg(screenplay)
      • Chuck Palahniuk(novel)
    • Stars
      • Sam Rockwell
      • Anjelica Huston
      • Kelly Macdonald
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Clark Gregg
    • Writers
      • Clark Gregg(screenplay)
      • Chuck Palahniuk(novel)
    • Stars
      • Sam Rockwell
      • Anjelica Huston
      • Kelly Macdonald
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 85User reviews
    • 148Critic reviews
    • 47Metascore
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 7 nominations

    Videos13

    Choke: Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:10
    Choke: Theatrical Trailer
    Choke
    Clip 0:51
    Choke
    Choke
    Clip 1:07
    Choke
    Choke
    Clip 0:39
    Choke
    Choke
    Clip 1:04
    Choke
    Choke
    Clip 0:32
    Choke
    Choke
    Clip 0:39
    Choke
    Choke
    Clip 0:43
    Choke
    Choke
    Clip 1:05
    Choke
    Choke
    Clip 1:11
    Choke
    Choke
    Featurette 2:42
    Choke
    Choke
    Interview 0:27
    Choke

    Photos121

    Sam Rockwell and Brad William Henke in Choke (2008)
    Choke (2008)
    Gillian Jacobs in Choke (2008)
    Kelly Macdonald in Choke (2008)
    Clark Gregg in Choke (2008)
    Sam Rockwell, Brad William Henke, and Gillian Jacobs in Choke (2008)
    Sam Rockwell and Brad William Henke in Choke (2008)
    Sam Rockwell in Choke (2008)
    Sam Rockwell, Brad William Henke, and Gillian Jacobs in Choke (2008)
    Anjelica Huston in Choke (2008)
    Sam Rockwell and Kelly Macdonald in Choke (2008)
    Clark Gregg and Brad William Henke in Choke (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sam Rockwell
    Sam Rockwell
    • Victor Mancini
    Anjelica Huston
    Anjelica Huston
    • Ida J. Mancini
    Kelly Macdonald
    Kelly Macdonald
    • Paige Marshall
    Kathryn Alexander
    • Mousy Girl…
    Teodorina Bello
    • Jamaican Lady
    Kate Blumberg
    Kate Blumberg
    • Edwin's Wife
    Jonah Bobo
    Jonah Bobo
    • Young Victor
    Willi Burke
    • Deranged Socialite
    • (as Wilma 'Willi' Burke)
    Heather Burns
    Heather Burns
    • Internet Date…
    David Fonteno
    David Fonteno
    • Edwin
    Matt Gerald
    Matt Gerald
    • Detective Ryan
    Clark Gregg
    Clark Gregg
    • Lord High Charlie
    Joel Grey
    Joel Grey
    • Phil
    Viola Harris
    Viola Harris
    • Eva Muller
    Brad William Henke
    Brad William Henke
    • Denny
    Paz de la Huerta
    Paz de la Huerta
    • Nico
    • (as Paz De La Huerta)
    Michelle Hurst
    Michelle Hurst
    • Shapely Nurse
    Gillian Jacobs
    Gillian Jacobs
    • Cherry Daiquiri…
    • Director
      • Clark Gregg
    • Writers
      • Clark Gregg(screenplay)
      • Chuck Palahniuk(novel)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Chuck Palahniuk: the author of the book, is the man sitting next to Victor on the plane at the end of the movie.
    • Goofs
      When Victor is attempting to feed his mother cannelloni in their first meeting scene, the camera changes angle and she is not wearing the napkins he previously placed under her chin. When the camera moves back to another angle the napkins have miraculously returned.
    • Quotes

      Victor Mancini: We are not born equal sinners, or perfect knock-offs of God. The world tells us whether we're heroes or victims. But, we can decide for ourselves.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Midnight Screenings: The Green Lantern/Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011)
    • 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 reviews85

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Consistently amusing low-budget treat
    As of writing, Choke has not yet been given official distribution, and will not get it for about another month and a half at least (depending on your location). However, I managed to see it at the annual local film festival. I'll bring this review up when the film gets a wider release, but for now here is my initial opinion.

    Choke is the story of sex-addicted loser Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell). Victor's main concern in life is to keep his demented mother (Anjelica Huston) alive and in hospital. He does this in the hope of finding out the truth about his strangely absent father. To pay the bills, he pretends to choke on his dinner in fancy restaurants and plays off his saviour's heroism for financial gain.

    I think the majority of readers here are at the very least aware of the existence of Fight Club, the only other major movie aside from Choke to be based off a Chuck Palahniuk novel. Most of the people who will seek out Choke will do it mainly because of the connection to either Fight Club or the Choke novel (or both, as the case may be). Of course, I'll have to play the comparison game here, but it has to be said - Choke is a very different beast to both its source novel and its spiritual predecessor, Fight Club.

    Anyone who's read Palahniuk's writing will know that his books are frequently dark, very twisted and somewhat humorous. Words like "diseased" and "cancerous" come to mind. It's this same feeling that infected both the Fight Club and Choke novels and made them perverse joys to read. Palahniuk's touch even translated perfectly in David Fincher's adaptation. With Clark Gregg's adaptation of Choke, the stylish darkness is traded for a far more conventional "quasi-independent comic" approach. Strangely enough, this seems to suit Choke even better.

    After all, Choke is first and foremost a comedy. At a guess, I'd say it's roughly 80 per cent faithful to the original novel (more on that later) with a large number of jokes lifted from the novel. The laugh factor was a strange thing. On one hand, the laughs managed to stay more or less consistent, with none of the jokes falling flat. On the other hand, I personally didn't feel like anything was too funny. Everything raised a genuine chuckle but as for anything approaching "struggling-to-breathe" humour, there wasn't much there. It makes me wonder what's better, a comedy with consistent chuckling or sporadic bursts of hilarious moments. Not too sure.

    Regardless, the film manages to be an enjoyable experience. First-timer Gregg manages to handle his duties (which include writing, directing and even one very amusing bit part) with confidence, balancing comedy with drama effectively. The acting is impressive to say the least. Rockwell manages to nail Victor perfectly, yet it's Brad William Henke that manages to steal several scenes as Victor's friend Denny. Another treat is the score, which is an interesting blend of different styles.

    Choke not only manages to be an entertaining comedy, it also becomes a very good example of how to streamline a 300-page novel into a movie that's just shy of the 90-minute mark. The only problem with it depends on whether or not your sense of humour agrees with the film's, but if this film was already on your "to-see" list, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
    helpful•99
    42
    • Robert_90
    • Aug 10, 2008

    FAQ2

    • Is "Choke" based on a book?
    • What songs play in the trailer?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 30, 2008 (Australia)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Fox Searchlight Pictures (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Задуха
    • Filming locations
      • Essex County Hospital Center - 204 Grove Avenue, Cedar Grove, New Jersey, USA
    • Production companies
      • Fox Searchlight Pictures
      • ATO Pictures
      • Contrafilm
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,926,565
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,319,286
      • Sep 28, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $3,982,459
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital

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