Review of Choke (1971) by Adam D — 07 Nov 2011

The rare film that is as funny as it is moving. Choke isn't perfect, but it's the kind of film you wish you saw more often: a good one. Sam Rockwell is one of the most underrated actors working today, and he not only manages to inspire some genuine and loud laughs here, but he creates a three-dimensional character that feels like a real human being.

Anjelica Huston is funny, but her performance tends to feel more like an actual performance than the creation of a true character. If anything, she takes the film's believability down a notch, which is strange, since Huston is such a sublime actress, able to bring an oddly sincere misture of weight and levity to films such as The Royal Tenenbaums or The Grifters.

Here she looks like she's having a ball, but only occasionally does it connect emotionally. Actor-turned-director Clark Gregg has a keen eye for performances, and Choke contains some really beautiful moments where characters simply interact with each other and either find a connection (a connection that often frightens them) or a confrontation that leads them to look for more connections.

The flashbacks are a bit clunky, one or two twist feel a bit abrupt (though they are arguably more effective for their abruptness), and Huston's performance is flawed, but the film overall is both very funny and very human.

I really adored this little film.