The Brenaissance will take a major step forward with The Whale, as beloved actor Brendan Fraser takes the lead in the latest drama from award-winning director Darren Aronofsky. The Whale has now been seen by a lucky few at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, and critics have been quick to praise Fraser for what many are calling his career-best performance.
We shall begin with Jane Crowther from Games Radar, who awarded The Whale a promising 4/5 and praised Aronofsky’s portrayal of weighty themes before calling the role one that Fraser has “been waiting for his whole career.”
The praise continues courtesy of Robbie Collin of Daily Telegraph, who awarded The Whale a perfect 5/5.
“The Whale is Aronofsky’s kindest work to date, a film that asks its audience to practice acceptance, understanding, empathy, and forgiveness. It unpicks wounds relating to parental abandonment, self-destruction, loneliness, marriage breakdown, and sexual orientation as well as the triggers and tribulations of self-medicating with food. In that, it’s a film that takes the specific and makes it universal. And in the wake of recent global events, it’s likely to prompt catharsis and blubbing for audiences.”
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Aside from the welcome reintroduction of Brendan Fraser, a lot of the press surrounding The Whale has focussed on the use of prosthetics to transform the actor into a 600-pound man. Deadline’s Damon Wise makes reference to this element, noting that Fraser’s performance and Aronofsky’s direction transcend the somewhat controversial use of make-up.
“A piercing, compassionate parable about grace and reconciliation, told with truly Biblical force.”
Brendan Fraser is Already Getting Awards Buzz for His Performance
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Variety’s Owen Gleiberman meanwhile leveled several criticisms at The Whale, but found that Brendan Fraser’s intense, touching performance kept him tethered.
“It’s a testament to Fraser’s incredibly soulful portrayal of Charlie that the make-up elements — notably his thinning hair, doughy face and bloated body — become almost invisible once the initial shock of seeing Dudley Do-Right in such terrible shape has passed. But it’s also a mark of Aronofsky’s acuity as director that Charlie never becomes at all freakish or monstrous…”
Leila Latif of IndieWire felt similarly, giving The Whale a B- and concluding that Brendan Fraser’s captivating performance is really the only reason to see the movie.
“The Whale, while it has a captivating character at its center, turns out to be equal parts sincerity and hokum. The movie carries us along, tethering the audience to Fraser’s intensely lived-in and touching performance, yet the more it goes on the more its drama is interlaced with nagging contrivances, like the whole issue of why this father and daughter were ever so separated from each other.”
Finally, The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney found a lot to love in The Whale, not least the exemplary work from Fraser and the rest of the cast.
“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. Faultless performances from Morton and Chau illuminate complicated relationships with Charlie, a man at once lovable, frustrating, and dishonest.”
Directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins, The Whale follows Charlie, a 600-pound middle-aged man who tries to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter.
“Hunter’s script and the intimacy of the actors’ work keep the melancholy drama grounded and credible.”
The Whale is due to be released in theaters on December 9 by A24.
