Customer Reviews

Thinner

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

You might not expect it from a Stephen King novel but the film is realitivly tame by todays standards. The result is a thriller of the best kind. The characters are less-than-desirable and that makes things all the more fun to watch. Robert John Burke stars as a morally corrupt attorney who we can't help but empathizing with, after all most of us are carrying a few extra pounds but he's tipping the scales at 300 lbs. and shows no sign of stopping. That's until he hits an old gypsy woman with his car and finds himself the victim of her father's wrath. You see he's over a hundred years old (the gypsies father that is), though by the looks of the cancer growing on his nose he won't be around much longer. Burke and co. conspired to make the old woman's death look like an accident and thus free him of any and all charges he could face in court. After being touched by the gypsy he finds himself on the role of his life, or so he thinks. He drops pounds like there candy - which we get to see him cosume much of. Enter Joe Mantegna in his typical Mafia hitman role. The two fight back and thats when things get really good. In the end nobody's spared there just deserts (excuse the pun). The DVD offers and interesting if incomplete commentary track by it's director Todd Holland, of Larry Sanders fame, and costar Mantegna. The widescreen format keeps Burkes weight in proper perspective, instead of streching the screen like they do in those horrorendous pan and scan discs. And the 5.1 sound is very commendable. It's a Halloween treat that I've grown to appreicate more each year 'round this time.

I must say, I really enjoyed this movie. We all know that most, if not all book based movies are not as good as the book. Stephen King movies are a good example of that. But, unlike movies such as The Tommyknockers or The Golden Years, Thinner is one of the better book based movies by King. First off, I really enjoyed the cast, especially Joe Mantegna. The evil old Gypsy (depending on what point of view or "side" your on) is especially creepy because he seems so ruthless. Tom Holland, who plays the main character as the cursed man who seems to be growing "Thinner", did a great job fulfilling his role.

Also, I must say that the production team of this movie really made Tom Holland's character look extremely convincing, mentally and physically.

In conclusion, This movie is extremely creepy and seems as if it's possible in real life, because it's simply a curse/hex that is at play throughout the movie. It has nothing to do with Aliens, mythical creatures, Ghost's etc. I highly recommend this movie to everyone, even if you aren't a horror fan, you should give this movie a chance.

If you are old enough to remember "Room 222"'s gentle principal in that 1960's TV hit, then you will marvel at Michael Constantine's performance as Tadzu Lempke, the centenarian patriarch of a roving band of gypsies. Considered unsavory nuisances whom the sheriff wants evicted, the gypsies legally lure curious onlookers. One of them, Billy Halleck (Burke), a dangerously overweight lawyer, ogles the nubile gypsy daughter gyrating seductively, but her unexpected vulgarity sets a sinister tone for what follows.

In this 1996 Stephen King thriller, Billy and his wife accidentally run down and kill Lempke's aged wife after she pilfers from a drug store. However, the couple is immediately acquitted as townsfolk "testify" in a stacked courtroom. Enraged, Lempke eerily grazes Billy while murmuring the curse, "Thinner."

Within days, Billy credits his new "diet" for his sudden weight loss which continues at a frightful pace. The sight of him going from obese to "normal" to gaunt are truly frightening, especially as the gypsies mockingly camp nearby. Although other townsfolk are cursed in even more grotesque ways (one commits suicide), Billy realizes all are doomed unless he can reason with Lempke, man-to-man. Still, Billy is continually mocked, and flees with a near-fatal slingshot wound through his right hand.

Now, leveraging the threat of violence against Ms. Slingshot, Billy forces Lempke to reveal that the only "antidote" is to pass the curse to someone else, as deceptively as possible. With a few scores to settle, including that of his unfaithful wife, Billy sets the trap, but forgets one very important detail.

Let me just start of by saying that I am a huge fan of both stephen kings, and horror movies. This however really isn't scary. However it did have a few scary parts. just be warned: this is not your average stephen king movie...but its still really good.

By the way...why do people give movies bad ratings if they have crappy special features? I don't know about everyone else, but I buy my movies for the movie, not for the extra stuff!

Thinner is one of kings better movies along with children of the corn and creepshow. His worst movies were maximum overdrive and dreamcatcher. I enjoyed this movie but this a movie u cant take to serioussly or think of it as horror to much- it was horror but took diffrent approuch then most horror movies. Its about an overweight lawyer who kills an old gypsy in his car one night and then gets cursed by her gypsy father and the gypsy says thinner. the lawyer dosent know it but he soon enough finds out that a curse was put on him when he starts losing weight quickly and his judge friend also gets a diffrent curse stuck on him- this movie keeps u watching to the end - u will want to see what happens as u see him losing more and more weight and wondering what will happen - sure the makeup looks a little fake in the shower scene but other than that it was ok and the ending was really good- i recomend this film to rent or buy - 4 stars

I just read the book a few days ago and I thought the movie was pretty good. I was a little disappointed with the special effects. He didn't really look bad at all when he was supposed to be 120 lbs, most of the work must have went into making him look 300 lbs. Stephen King does make an appearance in the movie as a pharmacist. Not a waste of time or money!

This was without question a frightening movie. After sucessfully defending a mafia cheiftain in court,an overweight lawyer runs over and kills an old gypsy woman. After the over- weight lawyer beats the charge in court,the woman's father puts a curse on the lawyer. He suddenly begins losing massive ammounts of weight. The lawyer goes from being robust to looking like a scarecrow. The makeup used in the transformation is outstanding. The lawyer starts looking for the band of gypsies to get the curse removed. The final solution is very original. This is a very unique movie. You will enjoy watching it very much. I still watch the reruns even today.

For once,a movie that can prove you dont have to go on a diet to be thin.Robert John Burke plays Billy Halleck,an overweight lawyer who makes the mistake of hitting an old gypsy woman during a little pleasurable activity.LOL. However,when he is found not guilty,a curse is put upon him.Soon,he finds that he is rapidly losing weight and discovers he has a gypsy curse on him.With the help of his friend,Richie,he sets out to find the gypsy who put the curse on him,before he is permenently thin. I recommend this film to any Stephen King fan

I think the thing that surprises me the most about Tom Holland's "Thinner" is that it was released theatrically. Based on the novel by the infamous horror writer Stephen King, this adaptation of one of his better-known books feels more like a direct-to-video release than a big-screen feature, with its low production values and overall cheap appearance. Having said that, the movie itself is entertaining to a point, after which, like many of King's novels (or movies based on them), it just flatlines.

The story centers around attorney Billy Halleck (Robert John Burke), whose string of successes have made him a name in his small town. He has a wife, Heidi (Lucinda Jenney), and a young daughter, both of whom have issues about his serious weight problems. "I can't stop thinking about food," he tells his wife in the car on the way home from a celebration dinner, to which she responds with A) the statement "There's more to life than just food," and B), a timely session of... well, you'll see.

Of course, during the "act," Billy fails to notice the old Gypsy woman crossing the street, and strikes her with his vehicle. Given his status among the townspeople (coupled with the fact that almost everyone we meet in the film is prejudiced against gypsies), Billy receives little more than a slap on the wrist, after which he is greeted by the dead woman's father (her father?), who brushes his cheek and chants the word "thinner."

Now I'm sure I don't have to tell you exactly what happens to Billy, who, despite his efforts to maintain a stable weight ("I'm digesting 12,000 calories a day!" he later tell his wife), loses 40 pounds in no more than two weeks. And the fat grams just keep flying, to the point where Heidi insists he check himself into a nearby male clinic, disbelieving of his theory that he has been cursed by the old gypsy man, whom he later sets out to find with the help of a vigilante he helped set free in a case.

If this all sounds rather hokey to you, that's because it is. The problem is, if my synopsis gives you this notion, then you're much better off leaving your experience with "Thinner" at this exposition, and avoiding the movie at all costs. Even for a Stephen King adaptation, the film is incredibly tough to swallow; the beginning and mid-section fares somewhat nicely, setting us up for a third act that showcases some nifty yet under-imagined make-up tricks (like we really couldn't guess that he was wearing a fat suit from the beginning), but fails in regards to giving us a sturdy conclusion that's worth waiting for.

Aside from the low-budget look of the film, there's not a great deal of commendable acting to be dealt with, either. Burke has some effective moments of biting humor, but he fails to register much in his confrontations with his wife, nor do we ever care much for him as a person wasting away as a result of his wrongdoing. The wife and child are basically stand-ins for those pesky times when the film needs some refreshment from slingshot-wielding gypsies and subplots involving two men who share a similar fate to Billy as a result of letting him go without punishment.

There is an intriguing premise underneath the mess that is "Thinner," but the story and its execution follow a pattern very much akin to its main character's descent from obesity.

The good news for Stephen King fans is that Tom Holland's "Thinner" is a faithful adaptation of King's tale, the bad news is that "Thinner" isn't one of King's best stories to build a film around.
Robert John Burke plays a rotund, and thoroughly unlikable lawyer who literally gets away with murder. Drawing the wrath of a band of gypsies he finds himself on the receiving end of a thinning curse. No matter how much he eats, he continues to lose weight.
The premise is pretty original, and the cast does a really good job with the material they are handed. Burke as a slimy lawyer does a particularly disgustingly good job. He is so repulsive both in character and physically, you almost root for the gypsy.
**On a side note, I would love to see just how much this film affected popcorn sales at theaters where it played? Watching Burke shovel in food hand over fist is truly nauseating! I can't imagine anyone eating while viewing scenes of him stuffing away food to try and gain weight!!**
Michael Constantine does a great job as the 106-year old Gypsy King, and Kari Wuhrer is smokin' hot as his grand-daughter.
But this movie belongs to Joe Mantegna. His portrayal of mobster Richie Ginelli is the one likable character in the entire film. Mantegna is having so much fun as the vegeance seeking mobster you can't help but get caught up in the spirit of things. You almost wish the focus of the film were on the Ginelli character solely.
The story is a bleak a depressive tale, populated by unlikable characters. And while the special effects are fantastic and the acting top notch, it's just too hard to recommend this film for anyone buy die-hard Stephen King fans.