Fatso (1980)

Obese Dominick DiNapoli gets a wake-up call when his rotund cousin dies at a young age. He decides that now is the time to shed some pounds so he joins a weight loss group called Chubby Checkers. But a lack of willpower and an obsession with food prevents Dominick from sticking to any kind of diet; in fact he often embarks on eating binges to satisfy his ample appetite. Unable to lose weight Dominick's negative feelings about his body begin to change. As a result despite the health risks Dominick begins to accept himself for who he is not for what he looks like.System Requirements:Running Time 93 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG UPC: 013131308693 Manufacturer No: DV13086 Product Description

fatso

movie ahead of it's time great work by bancroft and carey
delouise headed the charge September 15, 2008

Fatso

Every American of Italian desent should see this dark comedy!
You will laugh, you will cry and you will most likely see yourself as well as many of your relatives.
And if you have ever had difficulty controling your weight, you will love Dom Deluise's charcter. August 31, 2008

One of the funniest and most heartfelt comedies of all time!

Fatso! The title puts you on notice that there is nothing of a politically correct nature here. Prepare to squirm in your seat -- perhaps with recognition of yourself or members of your own family. There are no holds barred here, we see this amazing circle of friends and family "warts and all." They live large. They love large. They eat large, and therein lies the problem.

The family makes you fat from when you are a little kid. You grow up and the society of the outside "real" world hates you for it. Your family wants you to lose weight now, too. But they feed you tons just the same.

How do you survive? Can you ever find a soulmate other than a pepperoni pizza or a cheese cake?

If you haven't seen this well-loved but little-known gem of a movie yet, please buy your copy of it now. It doesn't matter if you are Italian, Irish, or Indian. This is a movie about all families and the struggle we all undergo to live as best we can and be true to ourselves as individuals -- not just members of a group.

If you don't absolutely adore Dom Deluise already, you will love him when you see this film.

I can't recommend it highly enough. Fatso is a classic film. June 12, 2008

To Eat, or Not to Eat

This is a little treasure trove of a film. Superb actress, Anne Bancroft (aka Anna Maria Louise Italiano), only wrote one screenplay and only directed one movie -and this was it. She worked through her husband's production company (Brookfilms), and put together a precious commodity for the ages. It is a shame she never directed again. She had a terrific comic ear for dialogue, cast well, and must have done the project as a labor of love; perhaps too much so.. Her work was reminiscent of the writing and directing of Elaine May. But possibly the stress of being the matriarch and Madre for a giggling gaggle of comedic actors, and the go-to gal for everyone else did not turn out to be much "fun".

She seemed to have a very slim budget to work with. She cast herself in the film, and did a wonderful acting job as the hysterically domineering sister, Anoinette. She ended up with a crew of mostly television veterans, and the result was the finished film looked like it was created "on the cheap". The rather pedestrian cinematography was done by TV veteran Brianne Murphy. The unremarkable musical score was composed by Joe Penzetti, a "B" film, and TV veteran. The strength of this film was in the writing and the acting--and of course the directing.

Dom DeLuise played Dominick DiNapoli, a 40ish overweight bachelor, still living at home, a gourmet cook, and a champion calorie consumer. This was one of Dom's best roles, although admittedly it was not much of a stretch for him. His sensitive nature and his ability to weep on cue gave the character depth. Ron Carey played his brother, Frankie, and he gave it just the right blend of bathos, chaos, and burlesque. Candice Azzara played the lovely Lydia, Dom's love interest. Her Lydia was shy, lonely, struggling to be independent, very religious, creative, fussy, oddly realistic, idealistic, naïve -and when asked if she still was a virgin, she replied, "Nearly." She reminded me some of Carol Kane with her nuanced and well thought out performance.

There are those folks who might feel that this movie is lightweight, not on a par with Carl Reiner's manic WHERE'S PAPA? (1970), or Mel Brooks side-splitting THE PRODUCERS (1968), nor did it have the sweet sarcasm of A THOUSAND CLOWNS (1965). So as a New York based comedy it was overshadowed by the bigger box office and critical hits. Yet this gentle and touching film represents the genuine warmth and sentiment that was missing from the darker and more profane comedies. For Dom DeLuise fans, it is a must-see. For the rest of us it is a great time at the Bijou.
September 18, 2007

Great comedy

I haven't watched this film in years and it is one of the best comedies I have ever watched in my life, especially but not limited to people of Italian heritage. July 24, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...