Choke poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, Brad William Henke, Clark Gregg ... see more see more... , Bijou Phillips , Gillian Jacobs , Jonah Bobo , Paz de la Huerta , Viola Harris , Joel Grey , Isiah Whitlock Jr. , Heather Burns , Matt Malloy , Kathryn Alexander

Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell) has got some problems -- when he's not at Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings hunting for women to bed, he masquerades as a choking victim in restaurants as a scheme to gather... read more read more... money from unsuspecting strangers, which he uses to keep his ailing mother (Anjelica Huston) in a high-end extended-care facility for her extreme dementia. But what happens when this messed up Colonial-era theme-park employee finds Mrs. Right in the guise of his mother's doctor -- and how can he give their relationship a try when she tells him he's the next coming of Jesus Christ? Based on Chuck Palahniuk's (Fight Club) pitch-black comedic novel, Choke is adapted and directed by David Mamet alumni Clark Gregg, whose career spans stage, screen, and TV work as well as a screenplay credit for Robert Zemeckis' 2000 thriller What Lies Beneath. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Flixster Users

53% liked it

33,356 ratings

Critics

54% liked it

137 critics

R, 1 hr. 32 min.

Directed by: Clark Gregg

Release Date: September 26, 2008

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: February 17, 2009

Get It:

Stats: 3,193 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

"CHOKE " Premiere, NYC Choke Choke Choke Beth (Cherry Daiquiri) Choke ANJELICA HUSTON Victor Mancini Sam Rockwell Choke Victor Mancini Victor Mancini Choke Choke
Upload a Photo | View All Choke Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (3,193)

  • RCCLBC
    August 2, 2011
    RCCLBC
    Felt like a great premise that got "watered down". Like it wanted to be darker, but for whatever reason never quite goes there. Which is sad, because I think it would have been a much better film, if it had.

    Great performances from the cast with Anjelica Huston (who I love) ... read morereally shining.
  • groaningbitch
    July 28, 2011
    groaningbitch
    the title "choke" refers to a man who makes a living by disguising himself as choking victim. this man happens to be a sex addict. there's no surprise this kind of story is written by chuck palahniuk, who favors to utilize caricatured social outsiders to delineate the conceptuali... read morezation of his philosophy of life. of course, none of those things he's written should be taken seriously because none of those characters of his are real to the extent that they're devoid of humanity. but who says they aren't fun even it's an apathetic kind of fun? because you cannot relate to any of those palahniuk characters even you ARE really a sex addict with a wacko-mother who steals you from the hospital as an infant then practically spends all her time drifting around the country and doing a series of fun-seeking sabotages. somehow you're soothed by such weird but creative dramatization of his writings while you still remain quite detached.

    perhaps the only genuine emotion i feel or personally relate to is the void within those palahniuk characters who would do ANYTHING to invite others' attention and an artificial 10-minutes of love because their lives are so pathetically vacant in a world where they cannot find any substantial empathy. under the facade of those palahniuk characters is an angry teenager who imagines himself as sex-addicts, anarchist, psychopath, any member of those marginalized social groups, trying to barrow some of those real sorrows from the social outsiders to give their wounded sentiments a falsified meaning.

    but why?

    to give it a rough, dismissive answer would be they're people who are so bored and so spoilt that they need excuses to amuse themselves and live up a little. (quite true, maybe a bit insensitive and judgemental)...the other version of answer would be: his frivolous "style over substance" kind of writing is a substitution of sentimentalism. "fight club" (the book) was released in 1996, right? the nineties, the decade of slackers, who listened to nirvana and pearl jam. i suppose, people who lived through that decade as teenagers or young adults in their early 20s are inclinded to suffer from a mental obstacle which hinder themselves from appropriately expressing a simple sentiment, especially those who've been obssessed with an "it" attitude. it's like when you feel hurt, lonely, devastated, you don't know how to say that word directly, then you seek other ways to express it: smearing your face with bad makeup, dyeing your hair, cutting yourself or imagining yourself doing many of those forbidden crazy things. but all you crave is just love, compassion and any of those common things. the ending of "choke" and "fight club" is just the guy finally finds the woman who loves him and they hold hands together. they don't really give a damn about social stratifications, existentialist search of identity or meaning. what they want is just as mundane as everyone else: love and acceptance, and the release of sentiments. any form of anarchy or revolt is just a camouflage of an individual emotionally crippled from voicing out their sentiments. (simply, because it ain't cool.)

    whether it's choke or fight club, chuck palahniuk writes common love stories with lots of imagined twists which have nothing to do with reality but slackers' attention-grappling wish-fulfillments.

    (ps) i say i feel it because i could literally do anything to get the attention for those i have personally cared or liked or loved. just like throwing stones randomly into a pond to create some ripples or ANYTHING to repress the hurt of being emotionally abandoned by your friends or once-friends and to escape the feelings that those you still somehow care (not willing to admit it) don't really respond you. i try hard not to do it because...ok, IT AIN'T COOL. (ha, pathetic, i guess..and very emo, just like a needy teenager!)..a confession from a pseudo-slacker in 2010s.
  • SirPant
    March 28, 2011
    SirPant
    Choke the film is like the book in many ways and not like the book in many ways. First off, It's a great book but not one of Chuck Palahniuk's best. It should in no way be compared to Fight Club as they are both very different films. I thought Sam Rockwell was very well cast as w... read moreere the rest of the cast for the best part. The book is dark and so is the film but the comedy doesn't quite match the book, inevitably, the set up just isn't there. Still , that all said I though Clark Gregg did a great job in his directional debut, I've never thought much of his acting to be honest so maybe it should be a permanent move he should consider - before he gets totally lost in the Marvel world!
  • cosmo313
    January 27, 2011
    cosmo313
    This is the second film based on a work by Chuck Palahniuk. Like Fight Club, this is a gleefully subversive and offbeat fllm that it twisted yet quite enjoyable. This might be a slightly more faithful adaptation, but it is not quite as memorable.

    I enjoyed the book, but it is... read more so far the least enjoyable of Palahniuk's books that I've read. I feel the same about the movie. It's good, but it's definitely not for all tastes. The performances are terrific. Everyone does a great job embodying their characters. Sam Rockwell is dynamite, but Anjelica Huston gets the top prize here. I also liked it that Brad William Henke (Denny) wears a Mastodon shirt in one scene.

    If you want something that's a little gross, awkward, and off the beaten path, then this is the movie for you.
  • paulkoh110
    January 6, 2011
    paulkoh110
    As a fan of Sam Rockwell, I thought his acting could redeem this mediocre story of a sexual addict living his life of torture. With flimsy flashbacks and poor execution, Choke just made me nod and gave me a little choke after finishing it.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    August 14, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Based on Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name, the film adaptation of Choke is a success. Though not as memorable as David Fincher's Fight Club (also based on a Palahniuk work), Choke is still a fine adaptation. Sam Rockwell brings Palahniuk's conman Victor Mancini to life, a... read morend he is amusing on screen. Brad William Henke as the chronic masterbating best friend of Victor, Denny is also great in his role. Though not as thought provoking as Chuck Palahniuk's incredible read, this film adaptation is a very good attempt at trying to capture Palahniuk eccentric work. This adaptation is crazy just like the book, but it's slightly toned down. I very much enjoyed the book and I very much enjoyed this film as well. If you Chuck Palahniuk, you'll most likely love this film. Just watch it with an open mind, most of the elements which made the book are here, but like I said, it's slightly different. The film is sad at times, but theres plenty of comedic elements here to make ita very funny film. This film would be a good comedy on it's own, even if it wasn't based on a Palahniuk novel.
  • fb619846742
    November 30, 2009
    fb619846742
    A disappointing, undercooked idea about a sex addict (Sam Rockwell) who is caring for his mentally sick mother (Anjelica Huston) while trying to figure out more about his origins and what his life means. If this would've been directed by David Fincher, who adapted Chuck Palahniuk... read more's "Fight Club" so skillfully, this might've been a good film. Sadly, it's not, despite four terrific performances (Rockwell, Henke, Huston, and Macdonald), it just feels so hollow and detached. It's labeled a "comedy", but despite one or two scenes where I laughed, there's really not that much that is funny. It's mostly just downright sad how morally depraved these people are, and I don't think that's all director Clark Gregg was aiming for.
  • CrookedlittleB33
    November 28, 2009
    CrookedlittleB33
    OMG BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR THIS! Can't wait! one of my fave Palahniuk books ever. :]

    Not as dark or twisted as the book, but a nice attempt altogether. Rockwell and Huston are perfect in here. Review TBC.
  • ythelastman89
    November 18, 2009
    ythelastman89
    Original and funny. It's definately a certain kind of humor and not everyone will understand it or appreciate it, but I really loved it. Sam Rockwell did a really great job and really drove the movie. His character is so orrible, yet he still comes off as a real likeable characte... read morer. The script was also really well written and contains all the wit and twisted humor of Palahnuik. My only big problem is that I wanted MORE. It seemed way too short. There was so much more they could've told, but I guess if they did it would have gotten an NC-17. Overall though, a must see for anyone who likes twisted and dry-wit humor.
  • 5oclockcoffee
    October 28, 2009
    5oclockcoffee
    As stupid as possible.
    I canīt believe itīs written for the same person that wrote "Fight Club"!!


View All Choke Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ben Mankiewicz
November 5, 2008
Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies

I found it choppy, I found it dull, I found it disinteresting. Full Review

Ben Lyons
November 5, 2008
Ben Lyons, At the Movies

This movie is only marginally enjoyable. Full Review

Kyle Smith
October 18, 2008
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Choke tries to be dirty but manages merely to be dingy. Full Review

Peter Rainer
September 29, 2008
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

Rockwell has an off-center charm and, as his gorgon mother, Anjelica Huston is more imposing than this movie deserves. Full Review

Ty Burr
September 26, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Choke is disappointing not for what it is but what it could have been. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
September 26, 2008
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Gregg's adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel has a fluid grasp of the impossible and possible, not to mention the profane and sacred. Full Review

Tom Long
September 26, 2008
Tom Long, Detroit News

A goofy blend of quirky characters, strange situations and wrong relationships, with just enough sadness running beneath its eccentricity to keep things somewhat real, Choke is a conscious oddball of ... Full Review

Amy Biancolli
September 26, 2008
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Gregg's unstable direction mutes the humor and confuses the schmaltz, yielding a tonally discombobulated film. And a thoroughly discombobulated critic. Full Review

Robert Abele
September 26, 2008
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

As the story of a wallowing pig, Choke is often pretty entertaining, but when it comes to where-do-I-come-from poignancy, it can't always keep from gagging. Full Review

Ruthe Stein
September 26, 2008
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

An annoying little film that attempts to be lascivious but is merely ludicrous. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Fight Club
    Fight Club (65%)
  • Towelhead
    Towelhead (0%)
  • Cashback
    Cashback (56%)
  • Blades of Glory
    Blades of Glory (25%)

More Movies like Choke

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Choke : Watch Free on TV

Choke Trivia

  • at the start of miss congeniality, what does the bad russian choke on?  Answer »
  • in Matilda what is detenchen called?  Answer »
  • From which movie is this song taken from:" But it all was bullshit, it was a God damn joke and when I think of you Linda I hope you God damn choke"?  Answer »
  • In Toy Story, when Woody opened Buzz Lightyears helmet over his head, what did buzz lightyear do?  Answer »
More Choke Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Choke. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Choke Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Choke to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View Choke News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

debmm Skin by debmm
41 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins