‘The Whale’ review: Brendan Fraser’s soulful, Oscar-ready performance will blow you away
“The Whale” makes waves in two ways: for Brendan Fraser’s astounding and incredibly compassionate portrayal of an obese man seeking redemption, and as an empathy test in a supremely cynical social-media landscape.
Heartbreaking and enrapturing, the psychological drama (★★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in select theaters Friday, nationwide Dec. 21) is the intimate character study of a reclusive, 600-pound teacher with congestive heart failure who’s yearning to make things right with his teenage daughter. “The Whale” is not only a showcase for Fraser; it also includes powerful performances from Sadie Sink and Hong Chau as it makes us ponder religion, mortality, kindness and the lens through which we see the world, all mostly from the confines of a second-floor apartment in Idaho.
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Because of his girth, he sticks mainly to his couch, which is where a young missionary named Thomas (Ty Simpkins) finds Charlie at the opening of the movie: Thomas happens to be knocking on his door when Charlie is having chest pains while watching gay porn, and he begs Thomas to read an essay about Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick,” a paper that both calms Charlie and also plays a key role in the narrative.
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Samuel D. Hunter has adapted his own 2012 play to the screen, and the staged aspect is a plus. The story sticks closely to Charlie’s living room, though he does move around the place – slowly and painfully – as his condition worsens and his character (and those around him) are developed. And while Aronofsky often has a penchant for dark fantasy (see: “mother!” and “Black Swan”), “The Whale” remains grounded, though not without some unsettling aspects: One binge-eating scene in particular, when Charlie’s at an emotional low, is a harrowing (and deeply effective) horror show of pizza slices, mayo and potato chips.
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Chau brings an infectious suffer-no-fools attitude to Liz, and Sink, so stellar in the latest season of “Stranger Things,” is amazing as Ellie. While she’s initially manipulative and insulting to Charlie – her mother even calls her “evil” – Sink impressively crafts her arc to slowly peel away that angry, angsty facade and give us a glimpse of the hurt girl underneath.
“The Whale” is an exquisitely soulful tale that avoids forgettable sentimentality. In one of the movie’s key scenes, Charlie says “People are amazing,” which could seem dubious, especially if you’ve spent five minutes on the Internet. Yet Fraser’s big-hearted triumph makes you believe it might actually be true.