Heavy (1995)

Director:

James Mangold

Writer:

James Mangold (written by)

Release Date:

5 June 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Victor is a cook who works in a greasy bar/restaurant owned by his mother, Dolly. It's just the two of them...

Plot Keywords:

Obese | Loneliness | Pizza | Cemetery | Culinary Arts

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Victor Modino
Shelley Winters	...	Dolly Modino
Liv Tyler	...	Callie
Deborah Harry	...	Delores
Joe Grifasi	...	Leo
Evan Dando	...	Jeff
David Patrick Kelly	...	Grey Man in Hospital
Marian Quinn	...	Darlene
Meg Hartig	...	Donna
Zandy Hartig	...	Jean
Peter Ortel	...	Tony
George Alvarez	...	Orderly
Cordis Heard	...	Nurse
J.C. MacKenzie	...	Gas Man (as J.C. Mackenzie)
Allan D'Arcangelo	...	Sonny

Also Known As:

Upstate Story (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

France:U | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Culinary Institute of America, Poughkeepsie, New York, USA

Company:

Available Light Productions

Trivia:

Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black) of the Pixies says on a deleted scene of loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies (2006), that he was approached for the part of Victor. He turned it down, saying he "didn't want to play that type of character".

Quotes:

Grey Man in Hospital: You're as big as an ox and no one sees you. I am the same way, I am loud and no one hears me, but when I whisper everyone looks around like something happened.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cop Land (1997)

Soundtrack:

One Way Street

A realistic and touching look at the life of a big guy.

This film is beautifully shot, and full of emotion. It is a character study. Very little action,of even the most basic kind. But you are drawn into the film, if you have even the slightest compassion, by the sheer loneliness and alienation of the characters.

The lead character, Vincent, is a middle aged man, weighing 250lbs. Heavy.

Our first introduction to Vincent plays upon our own bigotted perceptions of big guys: that they're all perverts. But through the film, we get to know Vince, and find that he is motivated, or rather paralyzed, by a fear of change and a painful shyness. His also a highly moral person. Not in the Christian sense, which would tend to make him seem truly perverse, but in the Human sense. He believes in Dignity and, despite the seemingly futileness of it, Hope. These are hard things to find in the small town in which he resides; especially considering he works in the family pub. I won't give away the ending, but HOPE sums it up.

The film deals with the hardships of being an overweight man, without indicting anyone or blaming anyone; and without telling the audience that being a big boy is inherently evil. In fact, Director James Mangold has much affection for this lonely man. If you have ANY opportunity to watch this film on DVD with Mangold's commentary, please do, but only after you have watched the film once or twice.

Pruitt Taylor Vince is perhaps in this film better than I have ever seen him. He is a beautiful man, whose eyes are filled with every emotion imaginable. I can tell, he has been through these painful experiences before in his own life.

The rest of the cast is great too. You won't see glamorous people here. Shelly Winters plays the mother with a spareness that makes you think there's not much underneath, but as the film unfolds you find the exact opposite.

Deborah Harry essentially revisits the "Wise Guy" character she played, but without the glamor. Lost and desperate, and too old to pretend she's not.

Liv Tyler, in one of her first roles, is also lost and desperate, but without the cynicism of Harry. Great counterbalance. She is also beautiful, and compassionate.

Mangold knows human nature. Here, he takes the brave step of challenging the audience to stop and think about it. The pauses in this movie are amazing, and say more than 30 minutes of a traditional narrative film do. This film is not just about a heavy guy...it is about all of us; how we react to those who are different, our own insecurities, our own sorrows, loneliness, and frail hearts. And yet, it defies becoming a "chick flick," Perhaps because it does center around the man's experiences, or perhaps because it does not cop out at the end with Cinderella fantasies.

WATCH THIS FILM.