Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 2022
The Whale (2022 film)
Buy The Whale (2022 film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'The Whale' is a 2022 American psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky, from a screenplay written by Samuel D. Hunter, based on Hunter's 2012 play of the same name. The film stars Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins.
'The Whale' premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2022, and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on December 9, 2022 by A24. The film has received generally positive reviews.
Premise
600-pound (272 kg) middle-aged Charlie tries to reconnect with his seventeen-year-old daughter. The two grew apart after Charlie abandoned his family for his lover, who later died. Charlie then went on to binge eat out of pain and guilt.
Cast
* Brendan Fraser as Charlie
* Sadie Sink as Ellie, Charlie's daughter
* Hong Chau as Liz, a nurse and Charlie's best friend
* Samantha Morton as Mary, Charlie's ex-wife
* Ty Simpkins as Thomas, a religious missionary
* Sathya Sridharan as Dan, a pizza delivery worker
Production
Aronofsky said he had been trying to get the film made for a decade, blocked by the casting of Charlie (its lead character), until he saw a trailer for 'Journey to the End of the Night' on YouTube with Fraser in a supporting role, when it "clicked" for him to cast Fraser. On January 11, 2021, it was announced that A24 had global distribution rights to 'The Whale', which would be directed by Aronofsky and star Fraser. In February 2021, Hong Chau, Sadie Sink and Samantha Morton joined the cast. The following month, Ty Simpkins joined the cast. Sathya Sridharan also joined the cast.
Principal photography began on March 8 and wrapped on April 7, 2021, in Newburgh, New York. The film entered post-production that same month.
In June 2021, Fraser revealed that the film was "already in the can" and that his role included "a lot of make-up and prosthetics."
Release
'The Whale' had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2022, where it received a six-minute standing ovation. It made its North American premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2022. The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 9, 2022.
Critical reception
received acclaim for his performance and comeback.
'The Whale' received generally positive reviews, with particular praise for Fraser's lead performance, as well as Chau and Sink's supporting portrayals, while the use of a prosthetic suit and certain directorial choices received criticism. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 69% based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 7.10/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Held together by a killer Brendan Fraser, 'The Whale' sings a song of empathy that will leave most viewers blubbering." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Glenn Kenny of 'RogerEbert.com' praised Aronofsky's direction and Fraser's performance, writing that the "story is one of different levels of heartbreak and human misunderstanding" and "Aronofsky and Fraser have taken substantive risks, in the name of an insistent empathy." Robbie Collin of 'The Telegraph', gave it a perfect five stars, stating: "Fraser seals his comeback in a sensational film of rare compassion." In his review of 'The Whale' out of Venice, 'Variety' chief film critic Owen Gleiberman called Fraser "slyer, subtler, more haunting than he has ever been", adding that he gives an "intensely lived-in and touching performance". Hannah Strong of 'Little White Lies' praised Fraser and the "strong ensemble", highlighting Sink's "tricky role" in which she "captures the anger and sadness that comes from parental abandonment", and stating that while Aronofsky "isn't a particularly empathetic filmmaker" and 'The Whale' is not without flaws, the film "reflects tenderly on shame, guilt, and the human impulse to care and be cared for."
On the 'Rolling Stone' internet culture podcast "Don't Let This Flop", EJ Dickson said the film was met with criticism for its use of a prosthetic suit instead of casting a fat actor, with accusations that it "stigmatizes and mocks fat people". On NPR's culture section, Jaclyn Diaz reported that this criticism extends to detractors calling the film's premise "inherently dehumanizing". In a negative review, Richard Lawson of 'Vanity Fair' said that the film "meant to be a poignant consideration of guilt, sexuality, religion, remorse" but "we really only know that because the movie shouts it at us." He also criticized Fraser's performance as "lost". Mark Hanson of 'Slant Magazine' felt that Arofnosky reins in his "typically ostentatious style" but "considering how Libatique's camera leeringly treats Charlie as an unsightly object of pity throughout, it's difficult to deny the film's fatphobia, though its mawkishness is no less oppressive".
Accolades
References
Buy The Whale (2022 film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 2022