Not so novel film

Lauren Millslagle / Staff Writer / The USD Vista

Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, the film “Choke” is an amusing dark comedy that has all the makings to be a new indie cult classic. However, despite its potential, “Choke” failed to fully develop its dysfunctional characters and could have been edgier given its creatively offensive plot.

“Choke” revolves around Vincent (Sam Rockwell), a sex addict that is trying to cope with his mother’s (Anjelica Huston) worsening dementia. The film flips between Vincent’s deteriorating quality of life working at a colonial theme park and flashbacks of his childhood spent doing the bidding of his coke-addicted mother.

Director Gregg Clark does a great job setting up the complexities of the plot, but it doesn’t follow through like a novel would. There is no doubt that “Choke” is entertaining, but Clark only scratched the surface with his film rendition of Palahniuk’s original work.