ChokeMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Choke."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 47 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
17 not for kids
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 83
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    It's an indelibly warped cartoon of lust and despair. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    It adds up to an entertaining collection of vignettes strung together by a sarcastic loudmouth whose heart is breaking under his sophomoric bravado. Read full review

  • 63
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Some stretches are very funny, although the laughter is undermined by the desperation and sadness of the situations. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Yes, it's not for the squeamish or easily offended, but its sordidness is more superficially shocking than wickedly satirical. Read full review

  • 50
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    Disappointing not for what it is but what it could have been. Read full review

  • 50
    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. Read full review

  • 40
    The Hollywood Reporter | James Greenberg

    For much of the way, the film just feels like it's pressing too hard to make an impression. Read full review

  • 40
    Variety | Dennis Harvey

    Palahniuk's antic absurdism is duly present, but the hurtling pace and barely-underlying nihilism that transferred to screen so vividly in "Fight Club" aren't much in evidence here. Read full review

  • 30
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    A singularly vulgar piece of work. Read full review

  • 25
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    An annoying little film that attempts to be lascivious but is merely ludicrous. Read full review

View more reviews for Choke on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says not for kids Adults-only sex comedy is shocking but shallow.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this extremely mature comedy based on a novel by the author of Fight Club isn't for kids in any way. Every scene includes or deals with sex, nudity, sexual situations, and sexual acts. There's extensive nudity, and a few scenes depict sexual activity in unflinchingly graphic fashion. There's also drinking and lots of strong language (including "f--k" and "s--t"), and while the film ultimately has a message of redemption, the lead-up to that moment is filled with rough, raw content and images.
  • Families can talk about the nature of extreme satirical comedy. Is this movie intended to be over the top? How can you tell? What messages is it sending about sex and relationships? This movie was adapted from a novel by the author of Fight Club; what do this movie and Fight Club have in common? Families can also discuss the challenges of caring for an aging parent, as well as why people engage in compulsive behaviors.
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The lead character is a schemer and scammer who fakes choking in restaurants so that the people who rescue him might help him financially and emotionally. Extensive depiction and discussion of sex addiction; extensive depiction of an elderly patient in the throes of Alzheimer's disease; extensive discussion of religious imagery and concepts, including a character's belief that his mother had him generated from the DNA found in a bizarre religious artifact. A character's mother, in his youth, abducted him from a series of foster homes. Extensive discussion of religious imagery and themes.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Scuffling and some fist-fighting. A consensual rape fantasy includes a woman being held at knifepoint.
  • sex false5 Sex: Constant discussion and depiction of sex and sex addiction, with graphic images and depictions on screen. Characters engage in compulsive sexual behavior with a variety of partners; there's extensive and near-constant nudity. Discussion of molestation, fetishes, sex toys, sex acts, masturbation, and more. Several scenes are set at a strip club; many others take place at a 12-step meeting for sex addicts. Two characters ineptly enact a consensual rape fantasy.
  • language false5 Language: Constant strong language including "damn," "hell," "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," "ass," "dick," "boned," "hooker," and more.
  • consumerism false1 Consumerism: A few brands visible, including Tab and Hostess Sno-Balls.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters drink beer, wine, and hard liquor. Characters hang out in bars and smoke. A doctor says that a character's Alzheimer's may be exacerbated by years of substance abuse.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

2.0

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

...Couldn’t we just find out that he’s been punching himself in the face the entire time instead? Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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