The Whale review

THE WHALE: 

BRENDAN FRASER GIVES THE PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME IN DARREN ARONOFSKY’S LATEST DRAMA! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

A24

Brendan Fraser in The Whale

 

            Brendan Fraser (George of the Jungle, The Mummy trilogy, Doom Patrol) puts on a fat suit and gives the best damn performance of his career in The Whale, the latest film from Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, Black Swan) based on the play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter who is also the screenwriter of the film. I’ve enjoyed Brendan Fraser is several films before, but I’ll admit I hadn’t seen him in anything great. 

            Don’t get me wrong, George of the Jungle and The Mummy are a lot of fun and very entertaining and I even like him in more obscure films like Looney Tunes: Back in Action. However, I wouldn’t call any of these masterpieces or must-see films and while he’s no stranger to dramatic roles, the films themselves have mostly been good at best.

            But then, The Whale comes along which was hyped up as Fraser’s big comeback after taking some time away from the spotlight aside from appearing in smaller projects and a role on the DC television series, Doom Patrol. Given all the buzz the film had gotten both online and at film festivals, does The Whale deserve all that praise or is it an overhyped Oscar-season movie? Definitely not the latter! 

            The Whale is a very divisive movie and those who see it will have different experiences and opinions on it. For me, I thought it was a fascinating and downright heartbreaking film elevated by the stellar performances by the cast (Not just from Fraser, though he is the highlight). 

            The film follows Charlie (Fraser), a morbidly obese and reclusive English teacher who is on the brink of death due to his health and is cared for by his nurse friend Liz (Hong Chau-Inherent Vice, Homecoming, The Menu). When his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink-Chuck (2016), Stranger Things, Fear Street trilogy) comes by, Charlie attempts to reconnect with her for one last chance at redemption. 

            The film also stars Ty Simpkins (Insidious 1 and 2, Iron Man 3, Jurassic World) as religious Christian missionary Thomas and Samantha Morton (In America, Longford, Elizabeth: The Golden Age) as Charlie’s ex-wife and Ellie’s mother Mary. 

            Overall, The Whale is the best Darren Aronofsky film I’ve seen since Black Swan, and I know I’m probably a minority on that statement. It isn’t for everyone, and I can see people being turned off by its depressing subject matter and portrayal of obesity. 

            What I got out of it was a poignant and captivating story about a father desperately trying to reconnect with his family, something Aronofsky previously explored in The Wrestler except replace Mickey Rourke’s The Ram with a 600-lbs. Brendan Fraser. Let’s finally talk about that, Fraser is absolutely fantastic in this movie and the #1 reason to go see it. 

            This is a very against-type performance for Fraser especially if you know him best from George of the Jungle or as Rick O’Connell from The Mummy. Seeing him portray a washed-up shlub complete with a 600-lbs. fat suit and impressive makeup work on him is mesmerizing and he puts so much passion and empathy into his performance in every frame. 

            You can tell Fraser’s performance as Charlie is very personal to him and easily his most human and vulnerable role. Literally from the very beginning, Fraser’s Charlie is an incredibly sympathetic character who retains this positive attitude even during hard times and sees the best in everyone even when they don’t see it themselves and none of that is better exemplified than when he’s interacting with his daughter, through his character, you feel the kindness of his personality as well as the tragedy of his current situation. 

            Where Fraser’s Charlie is kind and sympathetic, his daughter Ellie is bitter and cold to the point where supporting characters will call her evil. While many of her motives don’t always make sense, the troubled teen architype does work, and I like the little arc she goes through where she learns an important lesson about honesty from her father and even manages to help him and other supporting characters out without them even knowing it. 

            Other standout roles include Hong Chau as Charlie’s best friend and nurse Liz who has very likable chemistry with Fraser and works in a few funny lines in-between the drama. Ty Simpkins could have easily been a nothing character but even he has some great bits with the rest of the cast and is given an interesting backstory and for the few scenes Samantha Morton is in as Charlie’s ex-wife she gives an equally empathetic performance in a short amount of time and yet makes a huge impression. 

            The Whale is a poignant, riveting, and eye-opening experience elevated by the stellar performances of its cast and spectacular craftsmanship from Darren Aronofsky. It won’t win everyone over, but I can assure you this film will lead to long, engaging discussions amongst those who see it whether they like it or not.