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REVIEW: ‘THE WHALE’ Is Brendan Fraser’s Career-Best Performance to Date!

 
THeWhale
THeWhale
THeWhale

 
Overview
 

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
 
Produced by: Jeremy Dawson, Ari Handel, and Darren Aronofsky
 
Written By: Samuel D. Hunter
 
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Hong Chau, Sadie Sink, Ty Simpkins, Samantha Morton, and Sathya Sridharan
 
MTRCB Rating: R-13
 
Genre:
 
FG RATING
7.0
7/ 10


User Rating
4 total ratings

 

Raves


Cast Performances led by Brendan Fraser.

Rants


The adaptation feels like a 1:1 adaptation of the stage play.


We’ve seen movie stars either come and go or fade into obscurity, sometimes having a career resurgence with the likes of Matthew McConaughey and Keanu Reeves; now Brendan Fraser who made a name in the adventure films as George in George of the Jungle and Rick O’Connell in The Mummy trilogy though the last one […]

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Posted March 11, 2023 by

 
FULL REVIEW
 
 

We’ve seen movie stars either come and go or fade into obscurity, sometimes having a career resurgence with the likes of Matthew McConaughey and Keanu Reeves; now Brendan Fraser who made a name in the adventure films as George in George of the Jungle and Rick O’Connell in The Mummy trilogy though the last one ended in a whimper and grave injuries that setback Fraser and his career for almost a decade.

Time has passed, his small screen returns in Danny Boyle’s Trust and DC’s Doom Patrol in which the latter has garnered praise for his performance as Cliff Steele that build up the growing support. Fast forward to Aronofsky’s The Whale that defined Brendan Fraser’s comeback movie.

The Whale (based on the same name of the play by Samuel D. Hunter) follows Charlie, a morbidly obese, ill English teacher who teaches online gets a chance to reconnect with his estrange daughter. Having the playwright involved the screenplay can be both an advantage and a disadvantage: there’s an assured closeness to the source material which also poses a disadvantage being stuck within the confinement of the stage play, in a way it does look like it is a page-by-page adaptation that lack the cinematic value in it.

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In case of adapting one medium to another, there are certain conventions that each pose its limitations, and opportunity to flesh out certain plot elements and characterization that need to change or interpret in order for them to work.

In the case of adapting stage to film, there is the risk of a film being a shadow of the stage play and without spoiling, that is where this film gets lost in adaptation as the sole focus on Charlie’s perspective takes out the much-needed depth and missed out the needed context to build the situation he is in that could’ve had an impact.

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The missed opportunity to show some perspective of other supporting characters such as Liz, his caretaker, Ellie, his estranged daughter, Dan, the pizza delivery boy that he barely meets, and Thomas, the nosy missionary could’ve added layers and depth to relationship with Charlie and develop his character further; and as opposed to the film being almost set within the confinement of Charlie, both visually and in narrative sense, that goes back to the constraints on 1-1 ratio adaptation that prevented these possibilities that the film could explore outside of the stage version.

Though its shortcomings, it is the cast’s performances that do most of the heavy lifting that bring these supporting parts to life and add their own charm, and in a way they each hold each own against Brendan Fraser’s Charlie and show a different side of him.

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To say Brendan Fraser’s finest performance is an understatement – he is as focused and committed to the performance both the physical demands wearing and convincingly conveying Charlie’s  health struggles as he moves the 300 plus kilogram fat suit it’s as if the audience suspend in disbelief he is wearing the suit, Fraser uses the given material material and everything in his disposal to deliver a performance that does more than sobbing and screaming, there’s also some light-hearted banters with Liz and Thomas that display Fraser’s comic timing, not just him being a formidable dramatic actor.

The surprise standout here is Samantha Morton as Mary, Charlie’s estranged ex-wife. Her performance is a heartbreak who remain in control in spite of the ordeal of the fallout of their marriage, and struggles of raising Ellie. In earlier parts of the film, the viewer was given the impression of Mary is this bad mother from her point of view as she made to believe the viewer, she’s been held back by her mother from seeing Charlie, those lines coming from a teenager is more believable but the moment Morton’s Mary enter the screen, she disarmed the audience into believing as the bad guy, painted by Ellie.

And the way Morton deliver with lines with thought, spiral of emotions in a precise manner that it’s as if she holding back herself on exposing her vulnerable side is human as it gets – the repressed feelings that she didn’t want to admit of having tormented and abused by Ellie.

The Whale is a Brenaissance film that has been waiting for, that’s probably the point; it feels like it’s one of those hyped tear-jerker awards season offerings, most talked about film among the film press, one of those movies that it’s the performances that are truly that live up the hype.

 

Thank you TBA Studios for the invite!

 


Mico Orda

 
A passionate, enthusiastic writer, Mico Orda utilizes his filmmaking skills to keep his writer’s edge. He enjoys a lot of outdoor activities, which juice up his creative juices.


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