Customer Reviews

Fatso [VHS]

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I first saw Fatso when I was working in Yonkers, NY in the early 80's. I loved it then and have since seen it about 15 times. I too use lines from the movie in my everyday life, i.e. "how would you like to stuff that in a jelly donut?" or "He (Sal) was my favorite cousin, he always had something on him to eat - always" or one of the best lines was when Anne Bancroft was talking to Dommie about his missed appointment with Dr. Schwartzman (the diet doctor) and she said "Sal had an appointment with Schwartzman and he went and got a pizza instead". Dommie replied "Probably sausage". I think this is pure genius, but I know that this film isn't for everyone (skinny people). I guess it helps that I love to eat and am from NY, but I have recommended this movie to several of my friends out here in SF, CA and most of them have started quoting lines from the film as well. This film is a classic - Go buy it or rent it if you can find it. After the movie order up a nice pizza or plan to go down to Chinatown for a meal or two.......

I'm writing this the day after Anne Bancroft passed away. Shame on me, in this age of instant electronic communication, for never having even tried to let her know how much this warm, lovely film meant to me and my sisters. And now she is gone. (The fact that Ms. Bancroft, apart from June Allyson, was the only genuine, certifiable star of stage and screen to hail from my part of The Bronx - Throgg's Neck - just made it that much more special.) But perhaps, in some small measure, I can make up for my lamentable omission by Spreading The Good Word about "Fatso."

First off - don't be fooled by the title. The trials and tribulations of tubbiness are definitely NOT what this movie is principally about. To paraphrase a line from her husband's masterpiece, "The Producers," this wonderful movie is practically a love letter to growing up Italian-American in New York anywhere from 1940 to 1980. (To my knowledge, the only other film that even comes close is "Marty.") From the sausage-and-pepper heroes to the picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the stairwell to the tomato sauce simmering for hours in the chipped white enamel pots, THIS is the most truthful picture of typical Italian-American family life ever brought to the big screen. I've long suspected that Anne Bancroft, Dom DeLuise and Ron Cary weren't really acting here - they were just reminiscing.

But the MOST authentic and MOST important thing about "Fatso" is the evident affection that the members of the DiNapoli family have for one another - warts, tempers, avoirdupois, and all. Just as in real life, even when the characters are arguing, you can tell that it's just momentary - not born of lasting anger or hatred, but out of genuine love and concern for the other's well-being. From every standpoint, this is The Way It Was. It's The Real Thing.

My sincere condolances go out to Mel Brooks, their son Max and the whole family. May they find solace in wonderful memories and - as Dom DeLuise assures Zi' Mari' in the opening scene of the picture - the certainty that she is "in paravise con i santi" even now.

Why in God's name is this film so unheralded? Maybe it's meant to be the cult classic that it is -- which means it's time Fatso gets the whole nine yards DVD treatment! Like most of the reviewers, I can relate to much of the Italian family-and-food scenarios being from Brooklyn. Like one reviewer said, forget the Godfather, Sopranos and all the mob stuff. This is ONE film about Italians that truly depicts them in positivity. Get a bunch of friends on a Saturday night with a few bottles of wine and a bowl, not a plate, of pasta and watch this. All of the characters are tremendously endearing, and there are equally heart string-pulling moments and funny ones. "Get the honey, Junior" should be up with the great movie quotes of all time. If there's any movie that should be re-visited in these image-conscious times, it's this one. How beloved is it? In memory of my father, who introduced the film to our large Italian-Irish family, we organized a "Fatso" party where we served food seen/eaten/talked about in the film (including buttered beets and kale), with looping showings of the movie all day. Someone please recognize this great and lovely film!! Where's the DVD? Someone call Anne Bancroft now!!

This movie is charming and I couldn't help but be entertained by Dom D.'s acting. He plays a fat man (really he's not that fat in the movie, more like chubby) who struggles with his addiction to food. He goes on a strict diet, but it only fuels his hunger until he falls in love. Dom D. cries a lot in this movie and talks about food a lot. He does a pretty good job of making you hungry. I have to admit that while watching it I had cravings for donuts, cake and ice cream. Dom D. makes the movie worth buying.

This Movie is HYSTERICAL!! The depiction of an Itallian-American family couldn't be more accurate! As an individual who's father's side is from 100 percent Itallian herritage, the similarities are not only familiar but EXACT, - the crying, the eating, the crying, the eating, the laughing, the eating, the laughing, the eating, the LOVE, the eating - THE PASSION - THE EATING!!! While family, food, and emotion are the focus throughout this movie, we realize we all have a litte DeNapoli in all of us - whether from Itallian herritage or not! As a wonderfully written and directed, movie, Fatso brings heart, soul and body simultaneously at the forefront of familialarity and HILARITY !!! Do yourself a favor and stop reading my review and Pre-order this movie on DVD! Thank you Anne Bancroft for this wonderful family classic - May u shine in heaven.

This movie has been a family favorite for years.
Anne Bancroft wrote, directed and starred in this film and unfortunately it missed its audience.
If for nothing else, buy it for the "Chubby Checkers off the wagon" sequence.
It's hysterical.
Sure, it's uneven. It's also funny as hell.
"You ate the ONY!"

It's beautifully acted.

Loads of laughs. I can't recommend it enough.

This film has the wrong title. It's really not about fat people. It's about eating, dining, snacking, and then starting all over again. It has a wonderful food orgy sequence that's written so well it should have won an award. It's really a love story with over-eating as a backdrop. Lots of eating. Dom DeLuise is perfect in the role. Ron Carey, the "I got it" guy from HIGH ANXIETY is great. Mrs. Robinson should have stuck to her chores as director and let someone else play her part.
Do not eat before you see this film.
Do not eat after you see this film.
Eat while you see this film.
I had a chocolate fudge pudding cake stuffed with fresh bananas and topped with whipped cream and strawberries with a medium size scoop of pistachio ice cream. And a Diet Coke.

You don't have to be an Italian from NY to love this movie but it sure helps! I felt like I was watching my own family during some of the scenes. Of course it helps that my name is Anthony, I have an Uncle Junior and Anne Bancroft looks just like my mother when she was younger. The underlying theme is acceptance and who can't identify with that. People need to be themselves even though everyone tries to change them. I've seen this movie about 10 times and my friends and family love it too. We have a complete repertoire of lines. Some of our favorites: "You eat $40 worth of Chinese food and you're sorry?", "Anthony! Put the guns down and eat!", "Madone, everyone's so dramatic this morning", and my personal favorite "Get the honey Junior". It's terrific.

This is the story of of Dom Denapoli, a large man with a large heart. He is of an Italian American upbringing. As a child, when something bad happens he is given food to feel better. When something good happens, he is given food to celebrate. As an adult, this lifestyle has become engrained in him, and when his cousin Sal dies prematurely because of being fat, he is forced to confront his eating problem, a task that to him is like cutting off his air supply. This movie is a wonderful and sobering look at what it means to be fat, and is cleverly interwoven with humor as well as a very entertaining plot. It is a heartwarming, compelling jouney into the sad reality of a struggle that many people face. It is furthermore an enchanting love story. I recomend this movie to anyone with an apreciation for the tremendous possible intensity of inner struggle and the general tragedy and beauty of life.

This movie eally epitomizes a really truly Italian and his upbringing. I am so glad this movie does not stereotype an Italian man as being linked to the mob. It is a really truly heartbreaking undertaking for thiose of us who are overweight;and the constant nagging from those around us.