Brendan Fraser Leads a Terrific Ensemble in an Underwhelming Effort with 'The Whale'

by Darian Scalamoni

    While the year is winding down, it is a big time for movie fans as we begin to see the rise to the top of awards seasons. Multiple studios begin lining up to make their pushes for Academy Awards, Golden Globes and other prestigious awards ceremonies with standout performances being the talk of the town. One such film this year that is drawing tons of attention for its lead character especially is The Whale.

    Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan) is best known for getting outstanding performances out of his actors, and The Whale is no different. There has been a lot of noise, and rightfully so, for the return of Brendan Fraser to the big screen in what's been described as a powerhouse performance by many. Though Fraser does anchor the film with his towering performance as Charlie, the movie can't quite live up to its lofty billing behind much more than the acting. Fraser was a bonified movie star in the late 1990s and early 2000s being behind big franchise fare such as The Mummy and George of the Jungle, but having suffered abuse and injury from the industry, he had given himself time away before returning most recently in some larger roles in TV and film. One particular project I had noticed him in most recently was FX's Trust which follows the story of the kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III and the battle between his mother and grandfather to bring him home for a massive ransom in the millions. After a supporting role on that show, Fraser has since been voicing Robotman on the DC series, Doom Patrol and appeared in Steven Soderbergh's 2021 film, No Sudden Move. However, The Whale is truly Fraser's showcase that could very well earn him an Academy Award nomination and possibly even a win if the Academy could look past certain things, most glaringly the fat suit that encompasses Fraser throughout the film. While Fraser's stature is already staggering due to his height, he gives a towering performance as a 600-pound reclusive English professor who never leaves his apartment due to his depression. Fraser's able to project these glimmers of hope throughout his big blue eyes and cheery personality despite the fact that the character's death is playing out in front of us throughout the film.

    Amongst the riveting performance by Fraser, we also see other actors matching his work on screen led by a trio of females. First, there's Liz, played by this year's standout performer, Hong Chau. I talked about her work in The Menu, which she is terrific in as well. Liz is Charlie's best friend and caretaker. She is a nurse and practically begs Charlie to go to a hospital when she reads his blood pressure is 238/134 indicating heart failure. Charlie continuously refuses but the hardships you see the two of them go through within the film is truly heartbreaking. Then, there's Charlie's daughter, Ellie. Played with such vitriol and animosity, Sadie Sink, best known for her star-making role as Max on Stranger Things, hurls hatred towards her father, who had abandoned her 8 years earlier due to a relationship with a man named Alan whose passing has led to Charlie eating himself to death. Sink's performance is truly hard to watch and is filled with such emotion that it makes you feel sorry for Charlie. Finally, Samantha Morton (The Walking Dead, Minority Report) appears in only one scene throughout, however, she reveals so many facets of her character within that scene. As Charlie's ex-wife Mary, Morton is able to convey anger, angst, addiction, love, care and remorse all within one conversation with Fraser's character. 

    

    Though the performances anchor the film, the rest of its parts seem to poke at the audience trying to pry attention rather than earn it. It seems that Aronofsky often puts Charlie in situations where he's planning for the audience rather than making one feel something on their own accord. The isolation that Charlie inhabits with his personal dismay due to his appearance along with his clear frustration of his shortcomings in his life are enough to make this a tough watch, but it seems that the director focuses more on the morbidity of the situation unfolding on screen with below the line work that is underwhelming. Whether it's overbearing audio of Fraser's chowing down on fried chicken or pepperoni pizzas, the overly gloomy score or constant rain-drenched settings, it's not as nuanced as Aronofsky's past efforts such as The Wrestler. The verbal and emotional abuse conveyed on screen towards Charlie once again doesn't make this a joyful film, it often takes the film to an extreme hateful place that makes you feel the suffering. It can often make a viewer's skin crawl and though it means the actors are doing their job, it sometimes comes off as daringly incoherent in what it's trying to achieve.

    The Whale deserves attention and accolades for the performances that connect the film at its core, however, the rest of the interworking's throughout make this a disappointing film from a terrific filmmaker. Settling in as a film about dismay, it seems that Aronofsky's nightmarish and isolating tale of an obese gay man leaves this particular moviegoer feeling more upset by what was put on screen than the message he is trying to project on screen.

Overall Score: 6.4