THE WHALE
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, Samantha Morton
Comedic actors don’t always get the appreciation they deserve until they turn in a dramatic performance. Brendan Fraser was known for big comedies and action films but is now garnering award season attention for his devastating performance in The Whale. Playwright Samuel D. Hunter has adapted his 2012 stage play for the big screen with Brendan Fraser playing the film’s protagonist, Charlie. He’s morbidly obese and never leaves his house. He works as a professor for an online school, but he lies about a broken webcam out of shame from being on camera. We come to find out the death of his boyfriend had a lasting and devastating impact on him, and is presumably, what caused the weight gain. He gets very few visitors. Hong Chau stars as his nurse who comforts him but isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. Stranger Things knock-out star Sadie Sink arrives out of nowhere as his long-lost daughter, Ellie, who finds her father disgusting. It’s been years since they’ve seen each, and she is the moody, volatile teen. The other main player is a young missionary played by Ty Simpkins who believes he can help save Charlie. Now in theaters
Here’s my review