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Choke
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Choke (2008) -- This is the theatrical trailer for Choke, directed by Clark Gregg.
Choke (2008) -- Clip: I'm right here
Choke (2008) -- Featurette: Chuck Palahniuk
Choke (2008) -- Interview: Anjelica Huston "On her reaction to the script"
Choke (2008) -- Satirical comedy about a sex addict who finds a woman he can fall for

Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   12,417 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 31% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Clark Gregg (screenplay)
Chuck Palahniuk (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Choke on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 October 2008 (Australia) more
Genre:
Tagline:
From the author of Fight Club
Plot:
A sex-addicted con-man pays for his mother's hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who rescue him from choking to death. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win & 5 nominations more
User Reviews:
Think Gilligan meets Groundhog's Day—in hell…Choke more (48 total)

Cast

  (in credits order)
Kathryn Alexander ... Mousy Girl / Agnes
Teodorina Bello ... Jamaican Lady

Kate Blumberg ... Edwin's Wife
Jonah Bobo ... Young Victor
Willi Burke ... Deranged Socialite (as Wilma 'Willi' Burke)
Heather Burns ... Internet Date / Gwen

David Wolos-Fonteno ... Edwin (as David Fonteno)

Matt Gerald ... Detective Ryan

Clark Gregg ... Lord High Charlie
Joel Grey ... Phil

Viola Harris ... Eva Muller

Brad William Henke ... Denny

Paz de la Huerta ... Nico (as Paz De La Huerta)
Michelle Hurst ... Shapely Nurse

Anjelica Huston ... Ida J. Mancini

Gillian Jacobs ... Cherry Daiquiri / Beth
Jen Jones ... Old Lady with Note

Jordan Lage ... Mob Member #1

Kelly Macdonald ... Paige Marshall
Matt Malloy ... Detective Foushee

Mary B. McCann ... Detective Dorfman (as Mary Mccann)

Alice Barrett ... Lanky Woman on Airplane (as Alice Barrett Mitchell)

Marty Murphy ... Second Trooper (as Martin Murphy)
Neil Pepe ... Zoo Security Guard

Bijou Phillips ... Ursula

Peggy Pope ... Sister Angela
Denise Raimi ... Pretty Foster Mom

Donald Rizzo ... Guard Captain Norm
Judith Roberts ... Elegant Lady (as Judith Anna Roberts)

Sam Rockwell ... Victor Mancini

Yolonda Ross ... Cute Teacher
Mike S. Ryan ... Lonnie (as Michael S. Ryan)
Solo Scott ... Mob Member #2
Suzanne Shepherd ... Waitress

David Shumbris ... First Trooper
Sebastian Sozzi ... Tito
Kate Udall ... Tall Nurse

Melinda Wade ... Mob Leader

Isiah Whitlock Jr. ... Detective Palmer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Allison Karman ... Filthy Wench (uncredited)

Erin Anne Williams ... Colonial Villager (uncredited)
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Directed by
Clark Gregg 
 
Writing credits
(WGA)
Clark Gregg (screenplay)

Chuck Palahniuk (novel)

Produced by
Johnathan Dorfman .... producer
Temple Fennell .... producer
Beau Flynn .... producer
Mia Lee .... associate producer
Laurie May .... associate producer
Mike S. Ryan .... executive producer
Derrick Tseng .... executive producer
Gary Ventimiglia .... executive producer
Mary Vernieu .... executive producer
Tripp Vinson .... producer
Lisa Zambri .... associate producer
 
Original Music by
Nathan Larson 
 
Cinematography by
Tim Orr (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Joe Klotz 
 
Casting by
Suzanne Smith  (as Suzanne Smith Crowley)
Mary Vernieu 
Venus Kanani (uncredited)
 
Production Design by
Roshelle Berliner 
 
Art Direction by
Matteo De Cosmo 
 
Set Decoration by
Kate Foster 
 
Costume Design by
Catherine George 
 
Makeup Department
Cyndie Boehm .... assistant makeup artist
Christine Fennell .... key hair stylist
Charles McKenna .... assistant hair stylist (as Charles Mckenna)
Stacey Panepinto .... key makeup artist
 
Production Management
Tony Hernandez .... unit production manager
John Portnoy .... post-production supervisor
Mia Lee .... post-production supervisor (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nicholas R. Bell .... second assistant director
Borjan Jovanovich .... second second assistant director (as Boryan Jovanovich)
Stuart Williams .... first assistant director (as Stuart J.C. Williams)
 
Art Department
Justin Bennett .... set dresser
Naomi Bombardi-Wilson .... art production assistant
David Brenner .... set dresser
Brandon T. Connelly .... set dresser
Kristin Emery .... charge scenic (as Kristen Emery)
Josh Fifarek .... storyboard artist
Shannon Finnerty .... assistant prop master
Yolan Fisher .... prop master
Eduardo Garabal .... lead dresser
Richard Hebrank .... construction coordinator
John Jackson .... key construction grip
JoJo Li .... additional graphics (as Jojo Li)
Melissa B. Miller .... art department coordinator
Darin J. Patterson .... art production assistant (as Darin Patterson)
Chris Potter .... set dresser
Chris Potter .... set dresser
Kevin L. Raper .... graphics (as Kevin Raper)
Brendan K. Russell .... set dresser (as Brendan Russell)
Rene Sekula .... prop assistant
Max Sherwood .... on-set dresser
Mark Sonderskov .... construction coordinator
Adriano Valle .... on-set dresser
Alicia Van Couvering .... additional graphics
Charles Varga .... journeyman scenic (as Chuck Varga)
Gerardo Villarroel .... set dressing production assistant
Cathy Wassylenko .... camera scenic
Uriah Herr .... set dresser (uncredited)
Linette McCown .... sculptor (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
John Benson .... foley editor
Joey Bilger .... assistant sound editor
Christian Buenaventura .... adr editor
Neil Danziger .... boom operator
Dave Davenport .... post audio coordinator
Albert Gasser .... sound designer
Christof Gebert .... location sound mixer (as Christopher Gebert)
John Green .... dialogue editor
Dave Hancock .... mix technician
Tamara Johnson .... sound re-recording mixer
Bob Lacivita .... adr mixer
Robb Navrides .... adr editor
Bryan Pennington .... sound consultant: Dolby
Griffin Richardson .... additional sound mixer
Steven Stuhr .... dialogue editor (as Steve Stuhr)
Richard Taylor .... supervising sound editor
Jeremy Balko .... adr mixer (uncredited)
Joe Earle .... sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Giles Khan .... additional boom operator (uncredited)
 
Visual Effects by
Reza Amidi .... digital conform
Reza Amidi .... opticals
Eduardo Cisneros .... imaging technician
Daniel 'Ishi' Cruz .... imaging technician
John Flores .... imaging technician
Alex Hernandez .... imaging technician
Tim Heugle .... data wrangler (as Tim Heugele)
Kevin Lomet .... data wrangler
Ann Lopez .... imaging technician
Elizabeth Ostermann .... digital restoration
John Portnoy .... visual effects: Upload Films
Paola Varvaro .... digital restoration
George Zidd .... data wrangler
 
Stunts
Michael Angelo .... stunts
Paul Marini .... stunt driver
Kimberly Shannon Murphy .... stunts (as Kimberly Shannon-Murphy)
Elliot Santiago .... stunts
Manny Siverio .... stunt coordinator
Jeff Ward .... stunt coordinator
David Shumbris .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Baker .... best boy grip
Maceo Bishop .... Steadicam operator
Steve Calitri .... camera operator
Robert Carnevale .... best boy grip (as Bobby Carnevale)
Eric Gearity .... key grip
Robert Gearity .... grip (as Robert T. Gearity)
Corey Gegner .... grip (as Corey Gagner)
Shawn Greene .... gaffer
Paul Grunke .... grip
Melissa Guimaraes .... dolly grip
Lauren Haber .... film loader
Chris Hernandez .... grip
Chris Keenan .... grip (as Christopher T. Keenan)
Meg Kettell .... second assistant camera: "a" camera
Albino Marsetti .... camera operator
James McFayden .... grip (as James Mcfayden)
Matthew Mendelson .... electric
Jessica Miglio .... still photographer
Jeff Niggemeyer .... generator operator
Colin Oberschmidt .... electric
Matthew Pebler .... film loader (as Matt Pebler)
Fletcher Perry .... grip
Ian Pratt .... grip
Craig Pressgrove .... first assistant camera
Benjamin Salley .... electric (as Ben Salley)
Leo A. Schott III .... grip (as Leo Schott III)
Sean Taylor .... best boy electric
Matthew Van Doren .... grip
Michael Arisohn .... additional electrician (uncredited)
Mark Beattie .... additional electrician (uncredited)
Randolph Carty .... electrician (uncredited)
Nina Kuhn .... gaffer (uncredited)
Alexander Martin .... lighting technician (uncredited)
Toby Miller .... additional electrician (uncredited)
Lara Sfire .... additional electric (uncredited)
John Shim .... additional electrician (uncredited)
Zenfeek .... additional electrician (uncredited)
 
Casting Department
Karen E. Etcoff .... extras casting: Kee Casting
Lindsay Graham .... casting associate: LA
Paul Schnee .... casting associate: NY
Georgia Simon .... adr casting
Bill Tripician .... extras casting assistant
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Diana J. Collins .... wardrobe supervisor
Elizabeth Dran .... costume intern
Cameron Folan .... assistant costume designer
Suzanne Kelly .... set costumer
Lucia Lettini .... set costumer (uncredited)
Susan Wachsler .... costumer (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
John Gardiner .... telecine assistant
Sarah Gibbins .... post-production assistant
Kyle Gilman .... assistant editor
Shannon K. Hall .... dailies project manager
Michael L. Holland .... digital intermediate producer
Joan Malloch .... post-production coordinator
Ira Schweitzer .... colorist: dailies
Duncan Skiles .... post-production assistant
Ann Trulove .... assistant editor
Michael Underwood .... digital film colorist (as Mike Underwood)
Darin Wooldridge .... additional digital colorist: Technicolor
Benjamin Sutor .... digital intermediate editor (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Lyle Hysen .... music supervisor
Gandhar Savur .... music clearances
Ken Weinstein .... music supervisor
Alice Wood .... music editor
 
Transportation Department
Terry Adams .... driver
George Campbell .... driver
Chris Defeo .... driver
Kevin Flynn .... transportation captain
Jim Kelly .... transportation co-captain
Wallace Mosely II .... driver (as Wallace Mosley)
 
Other crew
Richard M. Bartholomay .... location assistant (as Richard Bartholomay)
Michael Brettler .... location intern
Robert Broder .... set medic
Chelsea E. Bruce .... intern
Nicholas Bryan .... office production assistant
Danielle Carter .... intern
Sungmi Choi .... intern
Alexandra Church .... assistant: Beau Flynn (as Alex Church)
Wendy Cohen .... product placement and clearances: Production Resources
James Conaboy .... set production assistant
Laura Cramer .... intern
Joe Dapello .... legal services: Schreck Rose Dapello Adams & Hurwitz LLP (as Joseph J. Dapello, Esq.)
Deliana Daskalova .... office production assistant
Beth Dettmore .... location assistant
Grace Doherty .... location scout
Moosie Drier .... adr loop group
Marie Durkan .... assistant: Mr. Dapello, Schreck Rose Dapello Adams & Hurwitz LLP
James H. Fitzgerald .... key set production assistant (as James Fitzgerald)
Zoe Ford .... intern
William Day Frank .... assistant: Clark Gregg (as Will Frank)
Eddie Frierson .... adr loop group
Abigail Hansen .... intern
Thalia Harithas .... assistant production office coordinator
Bridget Hoffman .... adr loop group
Katherine Hoskins Mackey .... stand-in: female lead
Joshua Huffman .... production office coordinator
Joe Ireland .... intern
Marabina Jaimes .... adr loop group (as Maribina Jaimes)
Louis Katz .... production physician (as Louis A. Katz, M.D.)
Rona Katz .... insurance: D.R. Reiff & Associates
Kirsten Kearse .... script supervisor
Dan Lasik .... chef
Jenny Lovin .... accounting production assistant
Peter Madamba .... script clearance: Act One Script Clearance
Luke Marion .... key set production assistant
Keith Marlin .... set production assistant
Laura Martinez .... assistant: Tripp Vinson
Seane McFarland .... technical advisor (as Seane Mcfarland)
Ross Miller .... insurance: D.R. Reiff & Associates
Paul Myers .... first assistant accountant
Claire Newlands .... intern
David Occhino .... assistant location manager
David Phillip .... parking coordinator
Jorge Pina .... chef
John Portnoy .... titles: Upload Films
Buck P.B.D. Rodgers .... production assistant
Michelle Ruff .... adr loop group
Alan D. Sacks .... legal services: Schreck Rose Dapello Adams & Hurwitz LLP (as Alan D. Sacks, Esq.)
Maher Sattar .... intern
Jonathan Schwartz .... intern
Jay Scrimmizi .... location intern (as Jay Scrimizzi)
Luke Tomalin Sherman .... set production assistant (as Luke T. Sherman)
Georgia Simon .... adr loop group
John Skidmore .... production secretary
Skip Stellrecht .... adr loop group
Anthony Torre .... chef
Samantha Treiber .... set production assistant
Alicia Van Couvering .... assistant to executive producers
Lauren Vanderschuur .... set production assistant (as Lauren D. Vanderschuur)
Natalie M. Vasquez .... intern
Gregory Walsh .... location intern
Josh Wasserman .... location intern
Jeffrey M. Weber .... set production assistant
Kathy Welch .... post production accountant
Michael Wiggins .... production accountant
Tucker Williams .... assistant: Lisa Zambri
Danielle Wilson .... craft service
Amy Wolk .... on-set tutor: On Location Education
Dennis Yeandle .... set medic
Louis Zuppardi .... location manager
Jaclyn Bashoff .... assistant: Anjelica Huston (uncredited)
Cristal Calderon .... production assistant (uncredited)
Maureen Duffy .... completion guarantor (uncredited)
Logan Wolfe Edler .... production assistant (uncredited)
Richard T. Lynch .... production assistant (uncredited)
R. Zachary Shildwachter .... additional production assistant (uncredited)
 
Thanks
Guilherme Campellon .... special thanks
Michael J. Fox .... thanks
Steven Gorelick .... special thanks
Kristen Konvitz .... the producers wish to thank
David Mamet .... thanks
Agnès Mentre .... the producers wish to thank
Don Roos .... thanks
Jessica Sobhraj .... thanks
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity and language.
Runtime:
92 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (DeLuxe)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #44083) | UK:18 | Ireland:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Singapore:R21 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Brazil:18 | Australia:R | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:18 | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | France:U (with warning) | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Shot in three weeks. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the scene where Victor played the rapist to a woman's fantasy of rape. In the first angle, the frustrated woman grabbed Victor's hand, which was holding the knife, so that it would be placed at her neck, then proceeded to use the vibrator on herself. Then when Victor says, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what about me?" the angle changed and focused on the woman, in which Victor's hand and the knife weren't anywhere to be seen. In the next shot, Victor had his hand and knife at her neck again. more
Quotes:
Victor Mancini: Poodle! more
Movie Connections:
References "Gilligan's Island" (1964) more
Soundtrack:
Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
What songs play in the trailer?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more
38 out of 56 people found the following review useful.
Think Gilligan meets Groundhog's Day—in hell…Choke, 19 September 2008
8/10
Author: babubhaut from buffalo, ny, usa

It took almost a decade for a second movie to come out from the literary source that is Chuck Palahniuk. David Fincher owned Fight Club, making it a cinematic wonder, enhancing the novel and becoming a wonderful companion to it. Rumors swirled afterwards about all his other stories being optioned for film translation, but after 9-11 halted Survivor's chances and Invisible Monsters' progress ended, it didn't seem good. But here comes 2008, with an unlikely savior in Clark Gregg, and all of a sudden we have Choke in cinematic glory to bring the author back into the spotlight. I love his books and all of them have a pop culture, post-modern feel showing sensibilities that can succeed on the big screen. Is Gregg the optimum choice to help the cause? Possibly not, but this is a very narrative driven story without the flash and flair of other novels, so his inexperience helming a film isn't overtly noticeable. While it is not as good as the book—how many actually are—this film keeps the tone and essence intact, bringing to life the words on the page. It's subtle and subversive and kept me entertained throughout.

Gregg has been in Hollywood for a while now, a familiar face to David Mamet fans, and for all you kiddies, an actor in Ironman. The role he gives himself here is a good one, the stickler boss of the colonial theme park that our leads are employed at. It's a thankless role and definitely the straightman of the ensemble; however, it is his directing that is really put on display. He doesn't try to go beyond his limits and I commend him for it. Single-handedly saving the world from possibly going Palahniuk adaptation-less forever, I have nothing but praise for the man. There are some camera tricks utilized, most obviously the quick cuts between our lead Victor Mancini's sex-addicted visions of every woman being naked to their fully clothed reality, but it's more or less a strict, linear narrative. I do have to mention the final shot, which carries on as the credits play, a long take of two leads making out. In extreme close-up, the highly personal nature of what is displayed leaves you somewhat uncomfortable due to the length, but also happy at the idea of these two partaking in the action. It's the boldest stroke Gregg makes and, being the last thing we see, the strongest most memorable moment for me.

It's all a comedy from start to finish, but one laced in good writing and subtlety. There are no real laugh-out-loud moments, except perhaps the revelation of a man being blind, just a consistent journey of sarcasm, heartfelt humor, and genuine witty banter. Victor, played perfectly by Sam Rockwell, really breathing life into the character as I envisioned him when reading the book, is a man that goes to restaurants and deliberately chokes so that some unsuspecting Good Samaritan can save him. These people now have a bond with him, feeling responsible for his life and in effect send him gifts and money whenever asked or on the anniversary of their fateful encounter. As one eyewitness's account says, her son was about to be divorced until his sense of bravery at saving Victor made his wife fall in love all over again. This kind of thing is a common trend with our lead; his uncanny ability to be devious and evil yet always have the outcome end up being generous and profound to those he is wronging. No wonder the guy becomes glued to the possibility he may be the second coming of Christ—believe me, it's actually a plot thread, and one that holds the film together.

Rockwell's manic overabundance of life becomes a whirlwind, sleeping with random women at every turn, hanging out with his masturbation-obsessed best friend (Brad William Henke who hopefully will start getting more work after this), angering his boss by using 20th century objects in a colonial environment, and visiting his mother, who is suffering from dementia, that believes he is her old deceased lawyers. Only Palahniuk's warped mind could come up with this stuff, let alone tie it all together into a coherent plot that is interesting to follow through to its conclusion. A burgeoning relationship with a young nurse at the home, (Kelly Macdonald trying to hide her Scottish accent for who knows what reason), adds some conflict and space for Victor to finally seek help for himself and begin step four of the sex-addict program. Having a lifetime of pain brought on by the one person he loved, Anjelica Huston as his mother, keeps him closed off to the world, making it strange for him when he finally finds someone he can open himself to.

There is so much going on, it'd be tough to talk about without either ruining the story or ruining the joke's setup. Choke is definitely not for everyone, the humor is probably too risqué for some and the subject matter too eccentric and modern for others. Palahniuk, who has a nice background cameo at the end, uses thinly veiled satire to bring us into his surreal interpretations of reality and be able to find ourselves living there. It is definitely one of his smallest scale novels, as far as craziness goes, but also one of his most accessible. For that reason, and because Gregg deftly adapted it with a respect to the source material, we have a resounding success. Hopefully allowing us to be brought back into his world of miscreants and fiends with a piece such as this will mean the more out-there stories will finally find their way to Hollywood. Scratch that. How about to a nice indie company that will do it right?

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Choke (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Brüno porrkorv
Did anyone watch this without reading the book? annaFTW
Who would you like to see direct the next Palahniuk movie? Why-soserious
Song help naseem_vikki
Location of the colonial village? lilwafflechild
I had such high hopes for this.... DigAPonyy
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