Fatso - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Fatso



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Most people looking at the cover of Fatso are going to wonder if this is going to be a comedy or not. Dom DeLuise was known as one of THE go to comedians back in the 70s and earlier, and him being prominently displayed on the cover art actually fooled a lot of people back in 1980 when the film debut. Anne Bancroft (already a prominent actress at the time) wanted to do something different back then. She was already trying to branch out in her career and was pushing for a new project, so she took on her first role behind the camera with Fatso. Not only did she want to direct, but instead of farming out the writing to someone else she took on that mantle as well and crafted her film to something she truly wanted. A dramatic film that looked at the curse of over eating, and all of the baggage that goes along with it. The movie doesn’t always work and is a tonal flip-flop, but it’s an interesting look at the subject matter and actually allows Dom DeLuise’s acting chops to come to the surface in a dramatic/romantic role instead of just making fat jokes.

After losing his morbidly obese cousin, Italian American Dominick (Dom DeLuise) comes to the conclusion that he’s going to suffer the same fate and sets out on a journey to curb the lust for food that he’s been condition with since birth. His sister Antoinette (Anne Bancroft, stepping in front of the camera in her own film) encourages him along the way, pushing him to see a professional to help him curb his appetites. A friend steers him to “chubby checkers”, an AA like meeting group that allows for a sponsor to help him with said cravings as well, but things just aren’t look up for the guy. That is until he runs into Lydia (Candice Azzara) a demure and shy women who resonates with Dominick more than anybody else. Their relationship surpasses all of the stereotypical influences of Chubby Checkers and counseling, allowing Dominick to look inward and find love and deal with the issues that have plagued him from birth instead of just drowning them with food.

Anne Bancroft is the most powerful in Fatso during the opening monologue. There she describes how Dominick was raised in a typical Italian American home, where he’s rewarded with food from the moment he’s born, to the yumminess of a sweet treat as a boy. This sort of positive food based reinforcement follows him into his adult life, where everything right in his life is rewarded with a snack. The same goes for negative influences, as food is also used as comfort when things go bad, as evidenced by his cousin’s funeral where Dominick covers up his grief by sitting in the kitchen eating bread and sauce. This opening 10 minutes or so is right on the money and sets the pace for the rest of the movie, but sadly this is where Bancroft drops the ball. Instead of keeping the film solidly dramatic, she ping pongs between the dramatic moments and silly, almost slapstick, comedic vignettes that really throw off the pacing.

This tonal change up is probably the biggest offending factor in the film. The stories are pretty solid, and Dom DeLuise is actually very good in a serious role. He’s no longer the drunken slob making fat jokes, but a truly troubled man who’s struggling to gain control of his food addictions. But the comedic ping ponging back and forth throughout the film really is off putting. Bancroft delays the inevitable having Dominick deal with his impulse control issues until the final act of the film, instead inundating viewers with scene after scene of the poor guy visiting professionals in hopes of “curing” him with their comedicly timed foibles.




Rating:

Rated PG By the MPAA




Video:

Fatso is obviously not taken from a newer master, as the soft photography is amplified with what looks like a very soft master as well. Primary colors are acceptable, but never pop off the page. Details are good, but never really that intricate. There’s a muted color palette going on here, with dingy browns and muted whites taking center stage. The film doesn’t have a lot of print damage or show much artifacting, but the 1.85:1 AVC encoded Blu-ray just isn’t going to compete with 4k remasters and other films that have been given more TLC. Blacks are a bit crushed and the brown dinginess kind of shows up as a washed out tone in some dimly lit interior shots.








Audio:

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA track for Fatso fares a bit better though. It’s still a simple 2.0 80s mix for a dramatic comedy, so don’t go in expecting a rousing experience. Still, the dialog is clean and clear and the front sound stage is comfortable with ambient noises that come through. The left and right panning effects show some decent activity in some of the more crowded scenes (such as the opening funeral), and there’s some minimal LFE baked into the track. It’s solid, does what it came here to do and is really rather decent considering the 80s low budget source.








Extras:

• "Looking back on Fatso" featurette with Mel Brooks and producer Stuart Cornfeld
• Interview with Maya Montañez Smukler, author of Liberating Hollywood - Women Directors and the Feminist Reform of 1970s American Cinema
• Image Gallery
• Press Kit
• Trailers

Final Score: ​

Fatso definitely had its heart in the right place, and Anne Bancroft really tries her best behind and in front of the camera. Sadly the film is laborious to get through due to the crudely done comedic effects that break the flow of the dramatic elements, leaving the viewer very bored and put off by the whole affair. Fatso bombed back in 1980 and I seriously doubt that it’s going to gain very many new fans almost 40 years later. It’s a cult film though, and has a decent following, so fans of the movie will be intrigued and may want to get it despite some mediocre audio and video specs from Shout Factory’s newest release. The new special features are very solid, with the featurette with Mel Brooks and Stuart Cornfeld being the most in depth. Rental for most people though.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Dom DeLuise, Anne Bancroft, Ron Carey, Candice Azzara, Michael Lombard, Robert Costanza, Sal Viscuso
Directed by: Anne Bancroft
Written by: Anne Bancroft
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Shout Factory
Rated: PG
Runtime: 93 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: June 25th, 2019

Recommendation: Rental

 

[Todd Anderson]

pass. Don't think I could do it

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will also skip this one.

 

[Asere]

I saw it when I was a kid and thought it was really good. If I remember correctly his fridge had a lock.

 

[Michael Scott]

I saw it when I was a kid and thought it was really good. If I remember correctly his fridge had a lock.

lol, yup, that's the one. Him waking up in the middle of the night with a toy gun and making his brother open it was one of the better parts of the movie