Thick, thicker, “The Whale”: Former Hollywood hunk Brendan Fraser won an Oscar for this role. Unfortunately, that doesn’t save the film either.
The film begins with a man who masturbates – and the fact that he doesn’t make it to the climax can definitely be taken as a sign. Charlie (Brendan Fraser) is severely obese to a point where the word “overweight” sounds like an understatement. He’s sitting on the sofa in his small, gloomy apartment, in front of the laptop with porn running, and the act of masturbation seems almost one sport too much for his ailing heart.