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The Whale

The 100 Most Anticipated Movies of 2022

The Whale

2022

Darren Aronofsky

Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins ...

7.1

19,564

Drama A reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption. Based on Samuel D. Hunter’s play The Whale.

	Author	Review
United States	David Rooney The Hollywood Reporter	"The intense chamber drama never disguises its stage roots but transcends them with the grace and compassion of the writing (...) it’s the inextinguishable humanity of Fraser’s performance that floors you"	POS
United Kingdom	Nicholas Barber BBC	"Brendan Fraser deserves an Oscar (...) The Whale retains the pacing, structure and conventions of a solid but clichéd melodrama (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United States	Ann Hornaday The Washington Post	"A murky-looking, claustrophobic exercise in emotionalism at its most trite and ostentatiously maudlin (...) Rating: ★½ (out of 4)"	NEG
United States	Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times	"Veteran actor delivers the best work of his career in Darren Aronofsky’s heartbreakingly moving story (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Owen Gleiberman Variety	"'The Whale,' while it has a captivating character at its center, turns out to be equal parts sincerity and hokum (...) most of 'The Whale' simply isn’t as good as Brendan Fraser’s performance"	NEU
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"It’s hard to feel much sympathy for Brendan Fraser’s morbidly obese English teacher (...) [A] vapid, hammy and stagey movie (...) the narrative is contrived and unconvincing (...) (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEG
United States	Leila Latif IndieWire	"Without Brendan Fraser’s innate charm and ability to project gentle sadness through the slightest flicker of his huge blue eyes, 'The Whale' wouldn’t have that much else going for it"	NEU
United States	Damon Wise Deadline	"A frank and moving depiction of human frailty, but colored by its central character’s perverse or maybe deluded optimism"	POS
United States	Rory O'Connor The Film Stage	"[It] is very much a filmed play, and it makes no pretensions otherwise (...) it stars an exceptional, resurgent Brendan Fraser (...) Suffice it to say this film would be quite small without him"	NEU
United States	Brian Formo Collider	"'The Whale' did not move me because most of the character interactions announced themselves loudly and with increasing frequency. It is inorganic, gimmicky, manipulative, and its lessons are simplistic"	NEG
United Kingdom	Robbie Collin Telegraph	"Brendan Fraser seals his comeback in a sensational film of rare compassion (...) Aronofsky's film is a thing of beauty and power (...) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Marshall Shaffer The Playlist	"'The Whale' makes for an intriguing, if not particularly innovative, investigation of the flesh's inescapable needs (...) It restricts what could have been a truly great comeback performance from Brendan Fraser"	NEU
United States	Leah Greenblatt Entertainment Weekly	"It often feels clumsy and maddeningly inconsistent, stranding Fraser in a melodrama undeserving of his lovely, unshowy performance"	NEG
United States	Alonso Duralde The Wrap	"As the film’s anchor and center of gravity, Fraser pulls off an impressive feat (...) [it] might be a stylistic departure for the livewire director, but it nevertheless feels quite of a piece with his pet themes and obsessions"	POS
Canada	Mae Abdulbaki Screen Rant	"Though it often offers surface-level readings about religion and father-daughter relationships, in particular, the film is worth the watch for Fraser’s performance alone (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United States	Brian Lowry CNN	"Brendan Fraser’s standout performance can’t keep ‘The Whale’ afloat"	NEG
United Kingdom	Dan Jolin Time Out	"Brendan Fraser gives the performance of a lifetime [and] makes 'The Whale' a deeply empathic and touching experience (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Richard Lawson Vanity Fair	"[It] misses the mark (...) Director Darren Aronofsky and his star, Brendan Fraser, aim for empathy but come up short"	NEG
United States	John Serba Decider	"It’s distressing and uncomfortable. But if you gird yourself for Aronofsky’s unapologetic exhibition of physical and psychological suffering, you’ll get to see Fraser’s valiant portrayal of a man with a leviathan heart"	POS
United Kingdom	Wendy Ide Screendaily	"There’s a magnetism to Charlie and his big, overburdened heart which draws others – and us, as an audience – to him"	POS
United States	Marshall Shaffer SlashFilm	"[It] stays too intellectual in its exploration of the physical and spiritual dimensions of redemption (...) It restricts what could have been a truly great comeback performance from Brendan Fraser into being merely a good one"	NEU
United States	Brian Truitt USA Today	"Brendan Fraser's soulful, Oscar-ready performance will blow you away"	POS
United States	Mark Hanson Slant	"Aronofsky may think he’s presenting some kind of radically cathartic journey, but all he’s doing is bringing a hollow sense of dignity to his schematic brand of cinematic misery porn (...) Rating: ★½ (out of 4)"	NEG
United Kingdom	Alan Jones Radio Times	"An eloquent and powerful look at last-chance redemption (...) Brendan Fraser delivers a barnstorming performance in Darren Aronofsky's new film (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
Canada	Chris Bumbray JoBlo	"It’s gut-wrenching and occasionally challenging, but it’s also extremely well-crafted and sports some incredible performances"	POS
United Kingdom	Sophie Butcher Empire	"Neither a great step forward for fat acceptance nor a damning blow against it, 'The Whale' is best appreciated as a moving, stripped-back character study, with a stunning lead performance (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	El Hunt NME	"It should be said that Brendan Fraser imbues ['The Whale']'s central figure with as much empathy and care as possible within the considerable confines of the script (...) A story which never really makes sense of anything (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
Canada	Eric Ortiz García Screen Anarchy	"Fraser's characterization is, undoubtedly, memorable (...) One of Darren Aronofsky's most empathetic films"	POS

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