CHOKE [R]
review by Robert Newton

It may not be a completely worthy follow-up to David Fincher’s infinitely quotable 1999 testo-fest “Fight Club,” but Clark Gregg’s dark comedy, also based on a Chuck Palahniuk novel, is a grimy but likable character study. Reminiscent of the 1998 (pre-zany) Ben Stiller film “Permanent Midnight,” this delving into one man’s mania stars the under-appreciated Sam Rockwell as Victor Mancini, a sex addict who may or may not be the half-clone of Jesus the Christ. In his first major leading role, he is commanding as a highly functional product of many traumas, fully aware of how toxic his life is but helpless to stop its march. A tight, biting script and skilled supporting turns by Anjelica Huston as Victor’s pragmatic but irresponsible mother, Kelly Macdonald as his doctor and Brad William Henke as his best friend and enabler further flavor the mix. Director Gregg, himself a character actor, blends seamlessly into the background, letting his cast do their thing. Creating characters that are so helplessly self-absorbed that we actually can relate to is no small feat, which is why what Gregg and company have done in this sardonic sleeper is all the more special, even if we don’t fully realize it until we’ve taken a long, hot shower to get the layer of scuz off of us.•••

Robert Newton is the editor of WorcesterMovies.