Fallen into relative oblivion in recent years, the actor offers himself a ticket for an interpretation prize on the Lido: he is of all planes, unrecognizable in the body of Charlie, a man of more than 250 kilos who does not can no longer leave his home and barely manages to get up from his couch.
Adapted from a play by Samuel D. Hunter, the film recounts the reunion of this reclusive English teacher and his daughter with whom all ties have been cut.
She is played by the young star of the series "Stranger Things", Sadie Sink, without particular relief in this role of a sulky teenager.
The role of Charlie was not entrusted to an actor suffering from such obesity, who are rarely put forward in the film industry, but to the 53-year-old ex-star, even if it is up to him. to wear imposing prostheses during filming.
Giving hope in its first sequences of a reflection rarely shown in cinema on the perception of obesity and the way people who suffer from it feel it, the film quickly hits bottom, weighted down by clumsy metaphors, including winks regular eye to the whale of "Moby Dick", heavy dialogues and strong sentimentality.
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There remains the performance of Brendan Fraser, chosen after ten years of hesitation by director Darren Aronofsky, after having thought of "all the stars on the planet", said the latter in Venice.
During the filming, "I learned to move in a totally new way, I developed muscles that I didn't even know I had", added the actor, also known for "Georges of the Jungle".
An experience that changed his view of obesity: "I learned that you had to be an incredible person physically and mentally to inhabit such a body".
The role of a lifetime, bluntly believes the actor with his rocky career: "It was the most complicated role I've ever played. Charlie is by far the most heroic character I've ever played. never performed".
© 2022 AFP