Heavy

Rating:
Summary: subtle and heartbreaking
Review: amazingly beautiful and well-directed. Director James Mangold lost his sense in his recent films but he does great in this movie. Not to mention, acting is all great.

Rating:
Summary: poigant story that was well told
Review: Despite some heavy handed camera work, this film shines. The acting by the lead character (Pruitt) was outstanding as was the other characters played by Liv Tyler, Deborah Harry and Shelly Winters. The story backdrop is a small nothing town and shows broken lives and failed chances. Enter Liv Tyler who appears in a bar applying for a job. Shelly Winters is the owner and mother of Pruitt - her overweight balding son with a roving eye but a good heart. The other waitress (Deborah Harry) is none too happy with the addition of a beautiful young woman. The resident drunk doesn't seem to care. Besides Liv Tyler's boyfriend, who we don't really see too much, this is it for characters and most of it takes place in the bar yet we barely notice as we are absorbed into the story that unfolds before us. Predictably, the son falls in love with the new waitress but he never takes a chance because he has already figured out how it would end. Yet the waitress' life isn't as golden as one would think. We see glimpses into each character's life and depressing doesn't begin to cover it. In spite of moments in each character's life that reflect a brillance, they are unable to see it for themselves. They are too caught up in the misery of their day-to-day existence and it would take too much effort to break free. At one point the son tries to change and we see hope for the first time burning in his eyes but it's built on lies and we see the consequences....... It's as if you give up on life, life pretty much passes you by and gives up on you - AND the results are there on screen serving as a warning. Either that or the filmmaker hates small towns and thinks you need to leave to get a better life. The whole mood of this movie is heavy but the sentiment and lush characterization made this movie worth it - repeat viewings even! A little gem of a movie which prompts me to look for later films by this director.

Rating:
Summary: VERY TOUCHING FILM, BUT TOO SLOW PACED
Review: Granted, "Heavy" does have its touching moments and the performances are magnificient. In the end though, I found the movie to be EXTREMELY slow-paced. Maybe it was intended to be slow, in order to show how slow Victor (James Mangold) is because of his weight. Or maybe its a metaphor for how slow his life is. In any case, the slow-pace hurts the movie and doesn't help it. Also Victor should have had more lines of dialogue. I think I heard him say about 4 lines during the ENTIRE MOVIE. Despite its shortcomings, I enjoyed "Heavy" somewhat. Worth a rental, nothing more.

Rating:
Summary: one of the best indies
Review: Heavy is a film about an overweight shy pizza chef (Pruitt Taylor Vince) working in a pizzeria run by his widowed mom (Shelly Winters). He also lives with her and seems to have neither friends nor the social skills to make any.

There is already one waitress there without much work (Deborah Harry) when his mom hires another (Liv Tyler). Through his crush on and friendship with her, he starts to see life as having possibilities -- maybe even go to culinary school like he once thought about doing.

While Liv Tyler is beautiful and does a fine job as a college drop-out waiting tables, the real star here is Vince, whom you can see being so shy and mute in real life. He doesn't even have much dialogue, instead he conveys his ennui and downtrodden psyche with his body. He later does the same when he starts to experience hope.

Rating:
Summary: Finding yourself
Review: Heavy is a story about a restaurant and its awkward inhabitants. At the center are two lonely character's in search for something better. The first is an overweight man, Victor, (Pruitt Taylor Vince) who lives with is agitating mother. She complain's and talks so much that he uses his daily reautine of serving her to tone her out. Second is a young woman, Callie, (Liv Tyler) who is hired at the restaurant after recently abandoning college. There is a pure energy between these two people as they begin to face their problems.

Heavy reminded me of of Sling blade in a way. With the exception that even though Carl's sins were more necessary in Sling Blade, Victor's sins in Heavy were a result of depression and desire. The reason for the similarity may lie in the camera work more than the story, but the characerization of purity between Victor and Carl are striking. Victor falls in love with Callie, but won't act apon that love because he fears the way he looks will cause rejection. The trueness of the story comes in my favorite scene when Victor finally realizes that he has a chance and takes it. The touch scene is really heart-felt.

Its a sad movie that ends on a note of hopefullness as though the story could continue on beyond the credits. All of the actors, and the director deserve high credit for this emotional film.

Rating:
Summary: HEAVY AND HOLD THE MAYO
Review: Heavy is a though provoking masterpiece. The movie does have some long drawn out scenes, but the under laying message of love and acceptance shines clearly through in the end. Deborah Harry of Blondie fame, is a stellar standout, as Delores the waitress. Liv Tyler and Shelley Winters are brilliant. Heavy although not a massive blockbuster, was a top AMERICAN rental for many weeks when it was first released, word of mouth keep it in the rental top 40 for 5 months. Which goes to show you some of the best movies never get their life line. This movie is a must for your DVD collection, even if your just a fan of the Star Material.

Rating:
Summary: He aint Heavy...
Review: Heavy is just another great slice of US indie movie making.This film has evrything which you can rarely find in Hollywood productions. A story which is well written , great camera work,great acting as well as the music which fits like a glove. Like everything which is prepared as home made,this film tastes great ,shining over the big budget movies like a star. What Mark Mangold proves here that there are still films around which you cant guess the ending after the first shots.

Rating:
Summary: This film is a delight
Review: I can't say anything more than I loved this movie. It made me feel so many emotions right along with the characters. I knew how Victor felt when he scarfed that junk food after his mother died. Every time Deborah Harry was on screen was a delight; finally she gets a wonderful role to act out. The airport scenes between Pruit Taylor Vince, Deborah Harry and Liv Tyler were probably my favorites.

Rating:
Summary: Me Heavy Too!
Review: I have seen the movie Heavy and Being a fat guy myself, It really hits home for me. It is the best serious movie I have seen in a long time. Yeah it's slow paced but it keeps you watching>

Rating:
Summary: So heartbreaking & thought-provoking
Review: I must have seen the middle of this movie about 3 times before finally watching it from beginning to end last night. Thank God my husband was out of the room during the two moments where I always cry: where Victor announces, "I'm FAT, Ma" to his mother, & when he literally stuffs his feelings down with the Mounds bar & Entemann's Donuts he hides in the restaurant's kitchen, after finding out about his mother's death at the hospital. The fact that he seems to have something neurologically wrong with his eyes (the incessant shifting) & always looks to be on the verge of tears make his character even more real to me.

What I love so much about this movie is the fact that it is so marvelously non-verbal - James Mangold spoonfeeds absolutely nothing to the viewer, & forces you to draw your own conclusions. (Think of the supermarket ladies' nametags Victor always seems to notice when he shops, or a cast one of them wears for a wrist sprain; think also of the sweet little bull terrier, or the loud plane motif, which surely symbolizes the film's various turning points)

This movie is so wonderful, & it never ceases to amaze me that it didn't have more acclaim - good or bad. It simply wasn't seen. I'm hoping a fence-sitter who hasn't seen "Heavy" sees this review & decides to watch this film; it shouldn't be missed.