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Dennis Gayirah

The Whale Movie: A Cinematic Masterpiece.

Darren Aronofsky’s 2022 film “The Whale” is a gripping psychological drama that tells the story of a reclusive English teacher, played by Brendan Fraser, who is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter, portrayed by Sadie Sink. The movie, which was written by Samuel D. Hunter based on his 2012 play of the same name, also stars Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, and Samantha Morton.

After premiering at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2022, “The Whale” was released in theaters in the United States on December 9 and had a wide release on December 21 by A24. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising the cast’s performances, especially those of Brendan Fraser and Hong Chau, while others had a more negative opinion of the movie.

Despite the polarized critical reception, “The Whale” has grossed an impressive $54 million at the box office, against a budget of $3 million. Fraser’s performance in the film earned him several accolades, including Best Actor at the Academy Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. He was also nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Globe Awards and the British Academy Film Awards.

“The Whale” also won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Hong Chau. In addition, the film was nominated for the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture, cementing its status as one of the most talked-about films of 2022.

Plot Of The Whale Movie (2022.)

In the film “The Whale,” directed by Darren Aronofsky and based on the play by Samuel D. Hunter, we follow the story of Charlie, a morbidly obese and reclusive English instructor who teaches writing courses online while hiding his physical appearance. His nurse and only friend, Liz, urges him to go to the hospital due to his severe risk of congestive heart failure, but Charlie insists he can’t afford medical care.

Charlie also has a routine with delivery driver Dan, who drops off pizza at his doorstep without ever interacting face-to-face. He hopes to reconnect with Ellie, his estranged teenage daughter, and offers her $120,000 from his bank account if she spends time with him without her mother’s knowledge.

Ellie eventually agrees to spend time with him, but their interactions are complicated by Charlie’s unresolved feelings about his deceased boyfriend, Alan, who died from suicide, leading Charlie to start uncontrollably binge-eating.

As Charlie’s health declines, Liz brings him a wheelchair to remain mobile. Ellie secretly places crushed Ambien into Charlie’s food, hoping to end their interactions. During a routine pizza delivery, delivery driver Dan sees Charlie for the first time and runs off in shock. This triggers a severe binge-eating episode for Charlie, causing him to send a profanity-laden email to his students, telling them to write back “something honest.”

Charlie’s estranged wife, Mary, visits him, and they argue about their failed marriage and parenting. Meanwhile, Thomas, a missionary from the New Life Church, continues to visit Charlie despite Liz’s objections. Thomas eventually confesses to stealing money from his youth group and running away from home, but Ellie sends his confession to his family, leading to forgiveness and acceptance.

Charlie reveals during his final class that he is being replaced due to his earlier email. To reciprocate his students’ honesty, he switches on his webcam for the first time, shocking his students with his physical appearance. He calmly proclaims the only thing that matters is the honesty of his students’ work, then ends the class by smashing his laptop.

As Charlie’s health worsens, Ellie arrives to confront him about a school essay he rewrote for her, but Charlie replaced it with a critical essay she wrote in eighth grade. Ellie initially rebukes him, but eventually reads the essay aloud at his insistence. Charlie stands up and walks toward her without assistance, smiling at her as he begins to float in a bright white light. You may also comeback and read:

Who Did the Filming For The Whale Movie(2022)?

Filming for the movie took place in Newburgh, New York from March 8 to April 7, 2021, with post-production starting later in April. To portray his character, Fraser underwent four hours of prosthetic makeup each day, with the prosthetics weighing up to 300 lb (136 kg). He also worked closely with the Obesity Action Coalition and a dance instructor for several months before filming to determine how his character would move with the excess weight.

Regarding the ending scene where Charlie appears to walk and ascend into a bright light, Hunter left it up to the viewers to interpret whether Charlie actually walked or not, while Fraser believed that the character is finally “liberated.” Sink shared that her character is emotionally traumatized, and Charlie is able to see beyond the façade that Ellie uses as a shield between herself and her father.

Who Did the Writting and Cast For The Film?

Aronofsky had been attempting to bring The Whale to the big screen for over 10 years, but had difficulty finding the right actor to play Charlie. Eventually, he saw a trailer for Journey to the End of the Night (2006) featuring Fraser and decided he could be a good fit.

The play was originally set in 2009, but Hunter updated the setting to 2016 to depict events happening prior to a major “seismic change”, and to avoid any association with the COVID-19 pandemic. In the original play, Thomas was a Mormon missionary, but was changed to an Evangelical Christian missionary in the screenplay.

The character of Liz was not specified by race or ethnicity in either the play or screenplay, but Hong Chau, who is of Asian heritage, was cast to play the character. To accommodate her casting, the screenplay was revised to state that Liz was adopted. Chau also contributed ideas to the character’s appearance, such as an unkempt look and tattoos.

In January 2021, A24 acquired global distribution rights for The Whale, which would be directed by Aronofsky and star Fraser. Chau, Sink, Morton, and Simpkins joined the cast in February and March. Sathya Sridharan’s casting date is unknown.

At one point, the film was going to star James Corden with Tom Ford directing, but Ford left due to creative differences. George Clooney also briefly considered directing the film before declining.

How Was the Critical Response For The Whale Movie (2022)?

According to review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Whale received an approval rating of 64% based on 332 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The critics consensus stated that the film was held together by a killer Brendan Fraser and sang a song of empathy that would leave most viewers blubbering.

On Metacritic, the film received a score of 60 out of 100 based on 57 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews. MovieWeb reported that the film polarized both critics and audiences.

The Whale received positive feedback at the Toronto International Film Festival, with particular praise for Brendan Fraser’s, Hong Chau’s, and Sadie Sink’s performances. Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com praised director Darren Aronofsky’s direction and Fraser’s performance, calling the story one of different levels of heartbreak and human misunderstanding.

Robbie Collin of The Telegraph gave the film a perfect five stars and wrote that Fraser seals his comeback in a sensational film of rare compassion. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times named The Whale the best film of the year and deemed Fraser’s performance as his career’s best.

However, the film also received criticism for its portrayal of the main character. Some critics believed that it perpetuated tired tropes of fat people as suffering, chronically depressed, and binge eating. Others criticized the film’s use of a prosthetic suit instead of casting an obese actor, with accusations that it stigmatized and mocked fat people.

Roxane Gay of The New York Times expressed her opinion that the film’s empathy was only superficial and that the depiction of Charlie reinforced anti-fat stereotypes and preconceptions.

In response to the controversy, director Darren Aronofsky defended the film, saying that the criticisms “make no sense”. He explained that actors have been using makeup since the beginning of acting and that the lengths they went to portray the realism of the makeup had never been done before.

He also emphasized that people with obesity are generally written as bad guys or punch lines, and the film aimed to create a fully worked-out character who has both bad and good parts. He said that the film shows that everyone, including fat people, is human and gets judged everywhere they go on the planet.

Who Is In the Main Cast?

  • Hong Chau as Liz, a nurse who is Charlie’s only friend
  • Samantha Morton as Mary, Charlie’s ex-wife and Ellie’s mother
  • Sathya Sridharan as Dan, a pizza delivery man
  • Brendan Fraser as Charlie, a morbidly obese and reclusive English instructor
  • Sadie Sink as Ellie, Charlie’s estranged daughter
  • Jacey Sink as young Ellie
  • Ty Simpkins as Thomas, a Christian missionary

What Was the Box Office Result For the Whale Movie (2022)?

As of April 5, 2023, The Whale has accumulated a worldwide total gross of $54.4 million, with $17.5 million earned in the United States and Canada and $36.9 million in other territories, according to sources.

In its third weekend, the film expanded from six theaters to 603, and grossed $1 million, followed by $1.6 million over the four-day Christmas period, then $1.4 million in its fourth weekend.The movie then expanded to 1,500 theaters in the sixth week of its theatrical run and grossed $11 million domestically.

This success was seen as a departure from the trend of the public losing interest in prestige films due to the pandemic, with critics attributing it to the acclaim and awards buzz surrounding Fraser’s performance.

Did The Movie Win Any Awards?

  • If So, What Are The Awards and Categories?

AACTA International Awards:

  • Date: February 24, 2023
  • Best Actor: Brendan Fraser
  • Nominated

AARP Movies for Grownups Awards:

  • Date: January 28, 2023
  • Best Actor: Brendan Fraser
  • Won

Academy Awards:

  • Date: March 12, 2023
  • Best Actor: Brendan Fraser
  • Won
  • Best Supporting Actress: Hong Chau
  • Nominated
  • Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, and Annemarie Bradley
  • Won

Alliance of Women Film Journalists:

  • Date: January 5, 2023
  • Best Actor: Brendan Fraser
  • Nominated
  • Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Hong Chau
  • Nominated
  • Best Screenplay – Adapted: Samuel D. Hunter
  • Nominated
  • Best Woman’s Breakthrough Performance: Sadie Sink
  • Nominated

Artios Awards:

  • Date: March 9, 2023
  • Studio or Independent – Drama: Lindsay Graham, Bret Howe, and Mary Vernieu
  • Nominated

Austin Film Critics Association:

  • Date: January 10, 2023
  • Best Actor: Brendan Fraser
  • Nominated
  • Best Adapted Screenplay: Samuel D. Hunter
  • Nominated

British Academy Film Awards:

  • Date: February 19, 2023
  • Best Actor in a Leading Role: Brendan Fraser
  • Nominated
  • Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Hong Chau
  • Nominated
  • Best Adapted Screenplay: Samuel D. Hunter
  • Nominated
  • Best Make Up & Hair: Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, and Annemarie Bradley
  • Nominated

Chicago Film Critics Association:

  • Date: December 14, 2022
  • Best Actor: Brendan Fraser
  • Nominated
  • Best Supporting Actress: Hong Chau
  • Nominated

Critics’ Choice Awards:

  • Date: January 15, 2023
  • Best Actor: Brendan Fraser
  • Won
  • Best Young Actor/Actress: Sadie Sink
  • Nominated
  • Best Adapted Screenplay: Samuel D. Hunter
  • Nominated
  • Best Hair and Makeup: The Whale
  • Nominated

Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association:

  • Date: December 19, 2022
  • Best Picture: 7th place
  • Best Actor: Brendan Fraser
  • Runner-up
  • Best Supporting Actress: Hong Chau
  • Runner-up

Dorian Awards:

  • Date: February 23, 2023
  • Film Performance of the Year: Brendan Fraser
  • Nominated
  • Supporting Film Performance of the Year: Hong Chau
  • Nominated

Florida Film Critics Circle:

  • Date: December 22, 2022
  • Best Actor: Brendan Fraser
  • Runner-up[a]

Georgia Film Critics Association:

  • Date: January 13, 2023
  • Best Actor: Runner-up

Golden Globe Awards:

  • Date: January 10, 2023
  • Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama: Nominated

Gotham Independent Film Awards:

  • Date: November 28, 2022
  • Outstanding Lead Performance: Nominated
  • Outstanding Supporting Performance: Hong Chau
  • Nominated

Hollywood Critics Association Awards:

  • Date: February 24, 2023
  • Best Actor: Brendan Fraser
  • Won
  • Best Supporting Actress: Hong Chau
  • Nominated
  • Best Adapted Screenplay: Samuel D. Hunter
  • Nominated

Is the movie The Whale Based on a true story?

The movie “The Whale” is not based on a true story but is a work of fiction. It is a 2022 American psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Samuel D. Hunter, based on his 2012 play of the same name.

The plot follows a reclusive, morbidly obese English teacher who tries to restore his relationship with his teenage daughter. The film premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2022, and stars Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, and Samantha Morton. It had a limited theatrical release in the US on December 9, 2022, before a wide release on December 21 by A24.

Is The Whale actually a good movie?

“The Whale” had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival and received generally positive reviews from critics. The film currently holds a 76% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 25 reviews.

However, it is important to note that critical reception does not necessarily indicate whether or not someone will personally enjoy the film. Ultimately, whether or not “The Whale” is a good movie is a matter of personal opinion. So YES Its a good movie to watch. Below Is the trailer for the Whale Movie( 2022)

What is the movie The Whale about?

The Whale” is a movie that tells the story of a 600-pound morbidly obese man named Charlie, who lives alone in a small town in Alaska. Charlie is estranged from his teenage daughter and struggles with his health and his past.

The movie follows Charlie’s journey as he tries to reconnect with his daughter and confront his inner demons, all while dealing with the physical challenges of his weight. The movie is based on the true story of a man named Jonah, who also struggled with obesity and formed an unlikely friendship with a filmmaker who helped him tell his story.

Is the movie The Whale on Netflix?

Regrettably, The Whale cannot be found on Netflix at present. Although there is a possibility that Netflix may obtain streaming rights in the future, this is not currently the case. so NO, its not on Netflix. You may also like reading:

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