The Oscar-winner actor plays the role of a chronically obese person in this incredible drama directed by Darren Aronofsky. This uncomfortable yet ultimately redeeming movie has earned a lot of acclaim and brought Brendan Fraser an Academy Award in 2023. TechTrends decided to write The Whale review as it is a wonderful film worth your time and money.
The latest movie from Darren Aronofsky is a slippery thing and it is not merely due to the air of general clamminess that is presented through this claustrophobic theatre adaptation. It is actually more because of the duplicitous way that the director does his best to push and pull the audience of the story, which revolves around grief and self-destruction. Brendan Fraser plays the role of Charlie, a fat-suited man, who is desperate to rebuild his relationship with his daughter, whom he left when she was a child. The director challenges the viewers to go past the pre-programmed ideas of attractiveness to see beauty in the main character and see his passionate and poetic soul. However, simultaneously, the camera shows him living in his mostly sofa-based existence.
Moreover, the color palette of his house and unsavory lighting seems to be emphasizing those features. The movie does a great job of frequently repulsing the viewers. Keep reading to find out more about The Whale review.
The Whale Review; Is Much-Hyped Brendan Fraser Movie Worth Watching?
Darren Aronofsky’s movies are always a challenge to watch and sit through as he puts the actors through the wringer. Take Jennifer Connolly’s drug addict in Requiem for a Dream, as an example, or Mickey Rourke’s aging athlete in The Wrestler, or Natalie Portman’s ballerina in Black Swan, or Jennifer Lawrences besieged wife in Mother! This is a theme with Darren Aronofsky and those who are a fan of his, are always prepared for what is about to come. The Whale is yet another one of his daring works. The director shows his extremity through Charlie in the movie The Whale as the latter pushes human limits with his size and hermetic lifestyle.
The Whale Review: Cast
Brendan Fraser as Charlie
Brendan Fraser was the star of the movie and his performance is really emotionally open-hearted. The audience can easily admire the empathy he puts on display, which is quite pure. His name is Charlie and he is an English professor. He is so fat that he can barely move in his apartment, let alone leave it. He sweats all the time, vomits into trashcans and chokes on the foods he eats as he gorges himself on them. The question arises as to who would want to be part of his life? Which he asks at the end of the movie. Moreover, he is aware of his eating habits and the fact that it will lead to his demise. However, he does not seem bothered with the idea. The story goes on with him trying to bond with his daughter and ex-wife Mary.
Brendan Fraser returned to stardom with this movie as it earned him an Academy Award. His career took a rise in 1990s as he appeared in many blockbuster movies but he disappeared for a decade before returning for The Whale. Keep reading The Whale review to learn about the other characters and cast members.
Sadie Sink as Ellie
In The Whale cast, Sadie Sink portrays the role of Ellie, who is Charlie’s daughter. Ellie’s custody is fully with her mother and has not talked to his father or seen him for about eight years. One day, she shows up at his apartment, however. When she pays Charlie a visit, he realizes that her sweet daughter has turned into a troubled almost-18-year-old girl as he was absent from her life. Sink’s performance as a rising young actress is amazing.
Hong Chau as Liz
Hong Chau portrays the role of Liz, Charlie’s close friend and a nurse. The duo’s friendship goes back to the time that Charlie divorced Mary as he fell for Hong Chau’s brother. Since the two are close, Liz is a great companion for Charlie and she also takes care of him, medically. Her performance was moving and remarkable in The Whale.
Ty Simpkins as Thomas
Going through The Whale review, we have reached the supporting cast and their roles in the movie. Ty Simpkins appears as Thomas in The Whale. He is a missionary from a church and he keeps visiting Charlie, hoping to be able to spiritually heal him with the words of God.
Samantha Morton as Mary
Another one of the supporting cast members was Samantha Morton, who played Mary, Charlie’s ex-wife in the movie. He cheated on Mary with a man, Liz’s brother, which ultimately led to their divorce. She appears late into the movie when Charlie is desperate to fix his relationship with his daughter.
The Whale Review: The Whale Cast Received Critical Acclaim
The cast of characters in The Whale has been critically acclaimed to the point that this drama earned three Oscar nominations. Brendan Fraser’s portrayal of the ailing English professor Charlie has grabbed the attention of critics and the audience, earning him an Oscar for Best Actor. This is Fraser’s first movie project following his career comeback, and it was also his first Oscar win and nomination. The competition was so fierce as the other nominees were Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Bill Nighy (Living), Austin Butler (Elvis), and Paul Mescal (Aftersun).
Fraser’s breathtaking transformation to look as though he was 600 pounds and on the door of death also did not go unnoticed by the academy as it was also nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Hong Chau also received a nomination for best supporting actress, portraying the role of Charlie’s close friend.
Read more: Best Darron Aronofsky Movies, Ranked
The Whale Review: Plot
Charlie, portrayed by Brendan Fraser, is an online college professor who teaches writing courses. He has his little square in the Zoom meeting black as he does not turn his camera on. Charlie tells his students that his camera is not working but the truth is, he is afraid that people will see him. His weight is 600 pounds and he uses a walker to go around. Moreover, he eats pizza and junk food, on the verge of dying as his heart is failing. All of this is known as his close friend, Liz, is his caregiver and stops by to check on him, taking his astronomical blood pressure. She tells him to get checked into a hospital but he refuses every time she brings it up, saying that he does not have the money.
Monday
Charlie masturbates to a gay porn so vigorously that he nearly dies of a heart attack. While he is gasping for air, someone comes at the door and rings the bell. However, it is not Liz but rather a teenager named Tom, portrayed by Ty Simpkins. He is a missionary from the New Life Church and wants to give him some pamphlets, chatting about Christ and End Time. However, he ends up reading one student’s essay aloud regarding Moby-Dick since Charlie requested it breathlessly. Charlie calms down and shuts the laptop as the essay always calms him down. The reason behind it is that it is very honest, with a line in it saying “… and I felt saddest of all when I read the boring chapters that were only descriptions of whales, because I knew that the author was just trying to save us from his own sad story, just for a little while.”
Tuesday
Ellie, Charlie’s daughter, played by Sadie Sink from Stranger Things, comes to his house. She stops by only to call him nasty things and calling her an angsty teenager is an understatement. She has not seen or talked to her father for eight years and since he left them to live with a man names Alan. Alan was Charlie’s student and the two fell for one another, with mistakes being made. It all leads to bitternesses being formed. Therefore, Ellie is hurling insults as his father saying that he is disgusting. Charlie, however, accepts to write her an essay so she can graduate from high school. You might ask where Alan is. Well, he killed himself, living Charlie in depression for years.
The Ending
We have reached the explanation for the ending of the movie in this section of The Whale review. The ending is quite devastating as it is the end of Charlie’s life. He tried to form a bond with his daughter Ellie and did his best to progress. Although it was one-sided, Charlie refused to give up on his daughter and decided to give her what she asked for the first time she came into the picture. This led to the ending of The Whale, where Charlie finally died and passed on to the other side. Do you think he got the end he deserved when it comes to his relationship with his daughter?
The movie tackles many subjects, such as abandonment, loss, sexuality, broken families, and the need to connect. However, the most powerful theme of the movie is redemption as Charlie was eager to help Ellie find happiness before he dies. Only doing this can make him feel redeemed and forgiven for his past mistakes. The movie shows that redemption has to be earned and Charlie does his best to gain it. It, however, starts with the desire to make amends.
Read more: Best Drama Movies of All Time
The Whale Review: Why Charlie Kept the Moby Dick Essa for So Long
In this movie, which is an adaptation of a stage play, Charlie reads an essay written for Moby Dick. At the end, it turns out that the essay was written by her daughter Ellie, with Charlie calling it the most honest piece of writing he has ever read. He was quite frustrated when he saw the writings of his students as they would provide him with generic writings or would write things that would please the professor. Ellie’s essay, on the other hand, had an opinion as well as a perspective that showed what she thought about the novel and Captain Ahab. The fact that it was so purely honest had Charlie keep the essay close to his heart.
The Whale Review: Why Charlie Finally Showed His Face to His Students
As we have explained in the ending of The Whale, Charlie knew that he was dying and did not have a problem with that. He did not care for his life anymore and was only focusing on saving his daughter. Just like he told his wife, he wanted to do one thing good in his life. Charlie was done with lying and wanted to be as honest as Ellie. Therefore, he decided to show his students what he looked like in real life. With his students mocking his appearance and him trying to teach them honesty, he got frustrated and broke the laptop, destroying his final ties to the world.
Final Thought
Despite the movie being overwhelming, it is watchable, with its origin being evident in its setting that is single-location. The movie is challenging from the beginning for the viewer to watch, emphasizing the claustrophobic nature of Charlie’s existence from the start. The lighting is dim and makes you wonder whether the house is as smelly as it looks. Aronofsky uses exaggeration in his movies and this one was no exception. It is a movie worth watching, so put it on your watch list if you haven’t already done so.