JASON EVANS' 100-WORD REVIEWS: The Whale

 An Acting Tour de Force

Film critic Jason Evans is here to tell you everything you need to know about movies in less time than it takes to wolf down a slice of pizza. His reviews are exactly 100 words long (99 is too few and 101 is too much). Here is his 100-word review of The Whale.

The Premise: Charlie (Brendan Fraser, The Mummy) is a 600-pound, obese English teacher. He can only teach classes online because he is unable and unwilling to venture outside the door of his home. His heart is failing and Charlie probably would be dead already if not for the help of his nurse and only friend, Liz (Hong Chau, Downsizing and The Menu). All Charlie wants at this point is to reconnect with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink, Stranger Things). Can Charlie and Ellie develop real relationship before his time runs out? The film is directed by award-winner Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, Black Swan, Noah).

The 100 Words: The reason to see this film is the stellar cast, led by Fraser’s heart-wrenching performance. Though Aronofsky really wants us to see Charlie as grotesque, Fraser injects so much humanity into the character, we cannot help but love him. Chau and Sink also deliver honest, emotional performances worthy of award consideration. The story is a little thin and doesn’t have many surprising turns to it, but holds your attention well enough so the film never drags. The movie is based on a play, and the confined space gets somewhat tiresome, but I could not take my eyes off Fraser’s face. 

Reach out to Jason Evans on Twitter @JasonDukeEvans