Leading a double life is nothing new for Victor. He's a historical
theme park worker but also a self-proclaimed con artist and sex
addict. In order to pay the high hospital bills of his mother Ida,
who suffers from Alzheimers, he'll do whatever it takes. He is the
best around, pretending to choke in restaurants where affluent
customers feel an obligation to save him. With his inability to
form emotional attachments, Ida's doctor believes she has the
answers. As their relationship begins to intensify, Victor's mother
is ready to tell him who his real father is. Having what seemed
like a permanent gap never knowing about his childhood, Victor is
faced with coming to terms on whether he can handle the missing
pieces.
The one thing that interested me most about seeing Choke was the
fact that it was from Chuck Palahniuk who wrote Fight Club, a movie
that was strange but had a way where you didn't want to stop
watching. Choke, on the other hand, although I liked the story, it
didn't translate on screen very well for me. The flashbacks with
Victor and his mother were the only parts that seemed to have some
substance as it showed the gradual breakdown of any sense of
normalcy that Victor could have in his life. I also liked the
pseudo-choking moments. There was some nicely twisted humour in
spots and the rawness of Victor's character as a sex addict was
believable, but the movie as a whole didn't live up to its
potential.