The Whale: Oscar Worthy or Overinflated?
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- čas přidán 8. 02. 2023
- Brendan Fraser stars in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale, based on the stage play by Samuel D. Hunter.
Charlie, played by Brendan Fraser, is a lonely shut-in who spends his days teaching online composition courses and eating himself to death. Years ago his lover committed suicide and in a fit of depression and self-hatred he turned to food, and never stopped. Now he’s reached such gargantuan proportions that merely getting to the bathroom is a herculean task. His only friend is Liz, played by Hong Chau, his best friend and nurse.
When faced with a terminal diagnosis he reaches out to his estranged daughter Ellie, played by Sadie Sink of Stranger Things fame, to make one last attempt to connect before he dies.
So, is The Whale worthy of Oscar greatness, or is it doomed to the Razzies? Find out here where Hugh Reviews The Whale!
The Whale contains elements of obesity, heart conditions, depression, drama, self-care, binge eating, broken families, religion, cultism, the Trump vs Hillary Clinton 2016 election, gay rights, divorce, self-abuse, body positivity, smoking, drug use, and suicide.
Here's the link to my Franchise Fatigue video: Are Franchises Dying?
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The Whale was pretty dark, but then so was Aronofsky's other masterpiece, Requiem for a Dream. Brendan put in one of the most powerful performances of all time. All the actors were great. So, yes, I consider it a masterpiece, warts and all.
Most of the movie is indeed just retelling the already well-known stage play, and feels exactly so, yet the ending, to my mind, is a paramount cinematic achievement which redeems it all. It's not the first usage of the main hero's "flying" as a sublime - both heavy and elevating - paraphrase of death, but here this image somehow gets exceptionally - more than in any other film, as far as I can tell - powerful. Music, which sounds eternal when the closing titles begin, plays, of course, its role, however the main factor seems to be Aronofsky's own belief - like that of Dostoevsky in literature - that redemption is available to any person, miserable or cruel. But it neither cheap nor schematic, and demands not just some moralistic preaching, but unconditional love to the very end.
An excellent review, that portrays the dramatic and emotional highs and lows of the story. Many thanks!
This happens sometimes in true life, Brendan did a wonderful performance and deserved that Oscar👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The whale is hard to watch because it hits you with harsh reality of what a self destructing path like that looks like and never relents throughout 2 hours of movie. Fraser deliver the performance of his career.
I thought it was a master piece. Brendon's performance was so powerful.
I agree for the most part with your review. I don't think it was a bad movie, but as you said, it was carried mostly by the performances of the actors. I think Fraser should walk away with the Oscar for his performance, but I don't think the movie itself should win best film.
un bel film pieno di significato.
PERSONALMENTE RITROVO IN QUESTO FILM MOLTO DI ME.Brendan Frasar ha centrato la vita di un uomo, specie di oggi.
Quando ci hanno sbattuto la porta in faccia mentre AVEVAMO BISOGNO SOLO DI SENTIRCI un COME STAI?
dice_: "anch'io devo sapere di aver fatto una cosa giusta nella mia vita"
Well done. Lots of great insight here.
Thanks! What was you favorite part and least favorite part of the movie?
Brendan delivered an excellent performance. Definitely an Oscar worthy!
This review is terrible. You're incredibly dense if you think the message of this movie is that there is no joy or hope in life and everything is terrible, dark, pointless, etc. Did you even watch the movie
Ok, you have a different take. Fair enough. But that wasn't my point. Did you even watch the review? 😉
But aside from that, just to be fair, what is your counterpoint?
@@hughsmoviereviews2418 I think the main point of the movie was to make people think about how food addiction can be uncontrollable and that any kind of person can undergo such a self-destructive process. Charlie is a loving, positive, genuine, person who was confused about how to handle his love for another man and his love for his daughter. He ended up sacrificing medical care so that his daughter could have more money to use going forward in her life. He didn't believe in God because of negative personal experiences and views that attack him as a human being for being gay. Despite his appreciation for people, love, and nature, he was depressed and no one could help him at this point but himself. The fact that he was such a good person despite his terrible situation displays a hopeful outlook on humanity in how one should lift up people simply because of the miracle to have emotions and be human, and not tear them down for their failure to control their emotions. The movie discusses the idea of what it means to human which is to be naturally "flawed" to begin with, and how one should best handle this by both loving other people like Charlie but by first learning to accept and love oneself. I think what the person who commented on the video was trying to say was that just because the movie shows the depth of despair Charlie is in the whole time, doesn't mean that the purpose of the movie is to promote not believing in God and that no one is capable of saving anyone but themselves. I think Charlie dying with the intent to still care for others more than himself represents a great perspective but one that lacks continuity due to his lack of self-respect and self-love. This is where the message of having an eating disorder comes in, as I believe that the movie is trying to convey the fact that it's impossible to "control" such a mental illness and that one can still be a "good" human being despite it.
@@ajaywood3682 I agree with you completely. I don't think I said anything against what you're saying here. I only commented in the video about how the people themselves, everyone you see on screen, is either self-loathing or depressed. I didn't make a judgement on that, just saying it was what it was and that it can make the viewer feel weighed down. No pun intended.
@@hughsmoviereviews2418 Oh okay. I think it was just a misunderstanding. I made sure to listen to the video a couple times to make sure I got the premise down before I commented, but I guess I missed something. I'm glad we're on agreement on what the film was conveying. I just think we came out with a minor disagreement on what we felt about it I guess. Thanks for clarification and commenting.
@@ajaywood3682 Hey, film is subjective on some level, and I'm glad we could discuss it respectfully.
Thanks for reaching out and hopefully I can do vids you'll like in the future. What movies would you like to see me tackle?
I have got to agree…brendan is truly devoted to his craft and it does transpire on the screen…if u notice sometimes u forget its s movie…
Brendan delivered its a great movie
The movie it's not nominated, so misleading question. Everywhere All at once will probably win, even though I've tried to watch it and I don't get the hype other than Ke Huy Quan and Michelle yeoh but they're nominated for their work in the film and I believe they'll win, but the movie wasn't a big fan of. Back to the Whale, the movie was good but Brendan was outstanding, which is why Brendan absolutely deserves the nomination. Hope he wins, cause I've seen all the other actors nominated and although they were really good, Brendan was outstanding. But again the Whale wasn't nominated for best film.
Oh, I'm aware it's not nominated, but the question was because some think it should have been. But I hope otherwise you enjoyed the review.
What makes a good movie a good movie? It is all about the script. You don't need all the CGI effects or stuns or lots of blood or dancing girls ... It is the content of their conversation, the way people talk, ...
What was the moment that meant the most to you? Not the moment that was artistic or pompous in the an "art snob" way, like we all fall into, but the moment that drew you in and made you believe in the film itself and the people, the characters, onscreen?
incredible performance.... if you are questioning if worthy of an oscar... then you are incapable of critiquing art...
Did you watch the review...Because I defend that same hill.
Darren specializes in oppressively heavy films haha
Seriously. Requiem for a Dream beat the piss out of it's characters. It was great because there is some reality to that. Addiction. Desperation. Paul Thomas Anderson goes there too with films like Boogie Nights. The lows are really rock bottom, but not without some hope.
this is art. can't you see the impact? there's not much character, not much setting, yet the movie is able to hit you deep down and so hard without even so much going on. it's the total opposite of EEAAO in terms of production. anyway, this is his own opinion, probably he is more of an EEAAO guy. there's so much beauty in darkness and this movie is able to bring it to light.
a normal person won't be reviewing movies like this. movie reviewers are too technical that they forget how to immerse themselves in the movie's virtual reality. this is what this CZcamsr has become. if you're too technical about things you won't benefit from the real purpose of the movie. yes the movie might be imperfect but it's the perfect imperfection.
What was the moment, the exact scene that hit you the hardest?
Beached.
Dark & depressing
A movie that gets less than 10 million at the box office is obviously not that memorable to the masses. I have a familly of over weight people, I have no desire to watch the problem on the big screen no matter who plays in the movie. Austin Butler Elvis plays a character that the whole world knows, but he plays it with heart and soul. He brings new facts to the dynamic which hasn't been done before. He deserves the Oscar, stop with the "Message" movies we've seen them all and this far movie isn't as good has "Thound pound sisters".
Actually, it grossed over $10m ($16.7m precisely) domestically.
But, quantity isn't the necessary case during awards season, otherwise Top Gun: Maverick would absolutely steamroll this awards season by now if this was purely based on popularity.
Lol Austin Butler 😂
If a measure of a good movie is based on the masses , I suppose “ citizen Kane “ wouldn’t be on most lists of which is the “ best “ movie ever made. The award itself is to recognize acting, technical skills behind the movie & direction, it is NOT a measure of which movie brought the greatest joy to the masses . It’s great that you enjoyed the movie that you did and you don’t have to be shit on a “ message “ movie . Pay with your money at the cinemas and move on .
tbh I don't think he was as good as Fraser, personally I'll go one further and say Colin Farrell deserves it more than Butler, the oscar is for best actor and Fraser was the better actor, even if you don't like the film can't deny his performance was emotional that made you cry and feel the characters pain whilst Butler just impersonated Elvis
I saw it because I actually like emotional movies. That said…magnificent, Oscar-worthy performance by Brendan; mediocre and generally forgettable movie in my opinion.
I agree. Frasier MADE that movie. Absolutely brilliant performance in a movie that could have been better.
Brendan was the movie. The rest was meh. 3/5
It's not really meh though, especially when its the entire performance really carried this adaptation.
If the performances deliver, I think its more than just "meh".
It’s all subjective. If you like it, that’s great. I just found the rest lacking something. It had real potential. Maybe the screenplay didn’t translate well to film. I can’t describe it. Fraser had an Oscar worthy performance.
It’s all subjective. If you like it, that’s great. I just found the rest lacking something. It had real potential. Maybe the screenplay didn’t translate well to film. I can’t describe it. Fraser had an Oscar worthy performance.
Better than phony Elvis movie. That movie was overinflated. Brendon should have won the Grammy, not Elvis copycat. Thank god, Oscar just did for Best actor.
Clips are all I needed. Will not watch
"Everything.... " is overinflated
It belongs to a different generation of audience. I haven't watched it. But you can take a look at people's reactions while they were watching this movie on CZcams. The young audience is much more exposed to different cultures. Older people tend to hate this movie.
Overinflated
He plays a Loser who gives up on himself and tries to emotionally drag his Daughter down with him.