Fatso

source: Fatso

Wow! Fatso's are people too! What a concept!!! This isn't the best movie I've ever seen. In fact, finding an audience for it is difficult in a largely overweight society. Since most are in denial, who would want to be seen waiting to get into the theater? It is, however, presented as sympathetic and is good for alot of laughs along the way. Particularly funny is the scene where Dom's "chubby checker" is talking him down from starting an over-eating binge. Lines like, "did you ever suck the jelly out of a jelly doughnut, fill it with reese cups and melt it in the oven?", as they weaken, are priceless. Especially, when a panicky Ron Carey (who has chained the refrigerator shut), is told repeatedly and threateningly to "bring the honey, junior" (for their tea). The resulting chaos is hilarious. It's safe to rent this one. No one will see you. And it is a cute little movie......

You need to be Italian and from NY to appreciate this ,movie, I am sorry if I offend you but it is the truth. From the language, to the sayings,to the way Antoinette dressed, the way food was such an important factor in their life. The $40 worth of Chinese food- the bakery, the room temperature fruit- all good stuff!! the portrayal of a Italian NY family in this movie was superb-I feel you can only enjoy it to the fullest if you are just that-the lines in the beginning of the movie with the funeral scene and the clock as a flower piece can only be known from Italian Ann Bancroft to us on the screen.I would like to end this with "Rest in peace Antionette" REST IN PEACE ANN BANCROFT YOU WILL BE MISSED.

Occasionally, the Fox Movie Channel (FMC) airs a letterboxed version of the 1980 comedy FATSO, Anne Bancroft's only big-screen foray into writing and directing. Having grown up watching the films of leads Bancroft, Dom DeLuise, and Ron Carey, I can hardly believe they're no longer with us. Heck, I still remember the movie poster from FATSO's original theatrical release: a mournful DeLuise standing against a long list of foods under the bold heading "Do Not Eat." DeLuise stars as Dominick DiNapoli, an overweight 40-year-old bachelor living in New York City's Little Italy. His happy life revolves around his family: sister Antoinette (Bancroft) and her husband and kids; "baby" brother Junior (Ron Carey, best known and loved in our household from his roles in HIGH ANXIETY and JOHNNY DANGEROUSLY); countless cousins -- and food, glorious food! Having been doted on and well-meaningly overfed by his worried mom (tragically, her two previous baby boys died in infancy), Dom's life has always revolved around eating, drinking, and being merry, usually with his big-hearted and just plain big cousin Sal. When Sal dies of an obesity-related heart attack, however, Antoinette and Junior frantically beseech Dom to tackle his own weight problem before he follows in Sal's footsteps to the graveyard. Dom's misadventures on the road to weight loss include the support group Chubby Checkers (featuring Estelle Reiner, the "I'll have what she's having" scene-stealer in director son Rob's ...WHEN HARRY MET SALLY), as well as good-intentioned but overzealous family haranguing that only makes Dom feel worse about himself. Then Dom meets Lydia (Candice Azzara), a down-to-earth, zaftig, huggably adorable blonde who seems perfect for Dom if only he could work up the courage to ask her out. (Their eventual romance is warm and wonderful to watch. I love watching appealing character actors get to have lots of hot kissing scenes! Why should the usual movie star types have all the fun? But I digress...) Our family's favorite scene is the attempted intervention of two Chubby Checkers when Dom tries to head off a binge, only to erupt into the most spectacular binge of all time for all concerned. It always cracks us up when Dom and his partners-in-weight-management rhapsodize dreamily about the many ways to enjoy a jelly doughnut, turning the innocent phrase "Get the honey, Junior" into a threat/chant. By turns bittersweet, zany, romantic, and warm-hearted, FATSO may be too shrill and sentimental for some tastes, but my family and I absolutely loved it from beginning to end! Born Anna Maria Italiano, Bancroft's Bronx roots show throughout. The volatile yet endearing characters and the loving details about their lives ring true, like Martin Scorsese on laughing gas. While many of the film's ideas about the best approaches to weight loss are dated now, it was surprisingly ahead of its time in portraying emotional eating and its tragicomic aspects -- making it all the more devious that Bancroft and director of photography Brianne Murphy film the tempting, luscious-looking foodstuffs in an inviting, sensual way that brings to mind WHO IS KILLING THE GREAT CHEFS OF EUROPE? and JULIE & JULIA. Having grown up in NYC as part of a boisterous, food-loving Italian-American family (on Dad's side; Mom's side was Irish-American. Never a dull moment in our household! :-)) and having waged my own battle of the bulge during much of my adult life, I totally identify with FATSO. It's like a lively Sunday dinner with my Grandma Josie and/or our other food-loving drama queen relatives and Italian-American friends in our old Bronx neighborhood -- and I mean that as a compliment! :-) As of this writing, FATSO will be on HBO Comedy for the next few weeks. It's not the letterboxed version FMC shows, but it's still worth checking your local TV/cable listings!

This is a great movie, don't know why it hasn't been recognized. I had never even heard of this film, though this issue is one that my family and I have long struggled with. Intended to be a comedy, I thought it would be something like "Pennies from Heaven", it has that look and feel. Of course there are funny moments, but it was much,MUCH more. The funeral scene at the beginning was so raw and real, it was hard to watch - the grief of the Aunt and of Anne Bancroft is so intense! Though the family members are quirky, and very dramatic, you can tell that they really care for each other. There are not many films that show this realistically the bonds between siblings and cousins. The Italian American family culture was authentic, down to small details (i.e., swishing Brioschi-an antacid-from one cup to another), and what a relief to have no Godfather-esquire stereotypes, so common to that time, and too long after. But the reason to watch is the film's honesty - Dom's pain, confusion,guilt and self-loathing regarding his overeating, his failed though sincere attempts to change, and his fear that this will lead to an early death. The fear, attempts to control, anger and confusion of his sister and brother are very real, too. I am part of a 12-step group having to do with food, and I hear this every day, no scripts needed. Dom's tears are REAL, and reflect the reality of many lives, now just as in 1980. What an open and honest performance by DeLuise. Anne Bancroft was always wonderful, whatever she did, I had no idea that she had written, directed and acted in this. Ron Carey I liked from shows such as "High Anxiety", but he was great here. The actress who played Lydia was good, too. This movie touched my heart and strengthened my program of recovery. Anyone struggling with food (and those who love someone who struggles with food)can learn something here. Thank you to all involved, as others have said, most of these folks are no longer with us, but thanks to them, anyway!

There are some real classic moments in this film. The hot dog scene where Dom looks at a beautiful girl, then back at the hot dog... in a mental fight that he can't win, he finally bites the hot dog. There are several classic moments and some are quite subtle, such as the scene where Lydia says the wrapping paper is "too gay" only to be glanced at by a man at the cash register. For people with an eating disorder, it will make you cry and laugh at the same time. For people who don't understand the addiction of food, it's an introduction into the dark world and troubles of being overweight. This is a real sleeper. Anne Bancroft does a splendid job of direction, and her character in the film is vivid, and colorful. This is a great film. I liked it a lot, and I have seen it about 5 times.

This may not be an amusing look at the dark side of eating to someone with a disorder but I roared with glee at Don's antics as the frustrated food addict. It was done from a comedy angle of course, but Don's big Chinese binge was a sobering glimpse at how ugly this passion for food can be. Well worth seeing.

The very sad thing about many good movies is that they not only couldn't be made today, they can't be openly enjoyed without criticism. In Fatso, an overweight man is repeatedly harangued by his sister until he joins Overeaters Anonymous to curb his appetite. Anne Bancroft actually screams at him and hits him, calling him 'fatso' and saying he's going to die if he doesn't stop. Ever since the 'big is beautiful' campaign, it isn't socially acceptable to talk about being overweight that way. And, since American obesity has been steadily increasing through the years and decades, when you go back and watch Fatso, Dom DeLuise doesn't look nearly as overweight as he did in 1980. It's very unfortunate that this movie, obviously created with love, would be raked over the coals if viewed by modern audiences. This movie is Anne Bancroft's baby; she wrote, directed, and co-stared as the concerned sister. She didn't make this movie to shame overweight people or laugh at them. She made it to show how hard it is to change your mindset when it's in your blood to overeat. In the beginning, we see a typical Italian family, who believe wholeheartedly that food is love, teaching their infant son to drown his unpleasant feelings in food. Feeling full is comforting, and when you've been taught that response since before you can talk, it's nearly impossible to change. From Anne's character's point of view, she's worried and frustrated that her brother is killing himself by overeating. When she slaps him and tells him he has to stop, she's reacting the say any other concerned family member would react if her brother were hooked on drugs or alcohol. If you're able to view overeating in that same vein, you'll be able to fully appreciate this movie. If you can't shake your modern goggles off, or you have no concept of the Italian culture, you're not ready for Fatso yet.

As did Red Skelton in his time, Dom DeLuise has a very sweet on-screen persona. He's the kind of guy you'd trust your kids to. Anne Bancroft, a multi-talented lady sorely missed, wrote and directed a picture here on a topic not ever before focused on, overeating. Given that the US has become the fattest country on earth and the most obsessed with weight loss, it's surprising no filmmaker has ever taken the topic on the way they have drugs or drinking or racism. Maybe it's just too close to home. The funny thing is that DeLuise himself, unlike some of the bit players in the picture, is not all that fat, seriously chubby, to be sure, not bathing suit material, but not really obese. Never mind. He's told he is and thinks he is and has a hell of a confused and guilty time with it. "Why does everybody want me to be skinny?" he asks himself. "I'm not such a bad guy." The "message," that love conquers all shortcomings, including gluttony, is a little pat and predictable. But it would be churlish to come down hard on such a well-meaning, well- written, well-directed and well-played comedy. Catch it when you can.

This is a wonderful satire not only on the weight-consciousness of society, but on what it is like to be part of a close-knit Italian family. I know, because I am part of such a family. Don't miss all of Anne Bancroft's wonderful expressions and gestures.