Claysaba
Excellent, Without a doubt!!
Payno
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Winifred
The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.
secondtake
Heavy (1995)The cast here is telling, and pretty remarkable. First there is Deborah Harry—yes that one, from the group Blondie. And even better (as an actress) is Shelley Winters, who is fabulous. And then in a bit part is Evan Dando, another actual musician (from the group the Lemonheads), and he gets to play his guitar and sing (very well).This is an odd tapestry for a movie that has no real music in it (besides some good old-style country, which is really out of place for the lower Hudson Valley). The two leads are Liv Tyler, who is good and a little self-aware (as usual) and Pruitt Taylor Vince, show is terrific though his role asks him to say little and be restrained.The title refers to Vince, who as Victor is an overweight pizza maker. The women around him like him but he doesn't seem to find a way "out" of their influences (from his mother to a long-time waitress who has an unspoken incident in the background). And that's the set-up. Slice of life movies by definition don't need a plot. They operate better by showing little details and developing character and place. This movie does that really nicely. There are holes here and there, implausible and thin aspects, but overall you accept and like what happens.So this quiet drama is perfect for those who like believable and touching situations. What is says about being overweight (since that's the title) is dubious, but in a way it doesn't matter. Watch it for other things. Winters deserved some awards for her role. Some great stuff in here.
tieman64
James Magnold directs "Heavy", a slow-moving film about an obese cook who falls in love with an enchanting waitress, played by hyper-beautiful Liv Tyler.The film's plot is wholly derivative - see Chayefsky's "Marty" - but Magnold's likable cast help sell things. He has Pruitt Vince play Victor, our corpulent hero, and the legendary Shelly Winters play his ageing mother. As is typical of these films, Victor's painfully shy, doomed to worship Tyler from afar. Tyler, meanwhile, reprises her role from Bertolucci's "Stealing Beauty", gliding through Magnold's film like an ethereal, unattainable object. Our chubby hero never gets close to her, but by the film's end has nevertheless learnt to act upon his secret hopes.7.5/10 - Worth one viewing.
Brigid O Sullivan (wisewebwoman)
An exquisite indie film directed by James Mangold. A very tiny story set in a typical small town diner but the direction, script and acting border on the sublime.This will not be to everyone's taste, extremely slow-moving but every frame gives us a little more information about the characters. From the empty life of Delores, the aging waitress played so well by Deborah Harry (AKA Blondie)to the achingly forlorn one of Victor in a riveting performance by Pruitt Taylor Vince, every character rings true.We have all met them along the way, some of us have shared the same experiences. To capture this so beautifully on film is to create a minor masterpiece.Liv Tyler shines in her first major role as does Shelley Winters in one of her last. Not to be missed by those who like their movies with more deeply drawn characters.8 out of 10.
paul2001sw-1
Life in small town America has been explored in many movies, but James Mangold's 'Heavy' has in its favour some distinctive characters, a subtle, low-key plot and fine acting from, among others, former glamour girl Debbie Harry who oddly seems to play only embittered old crones in the movies (see also 'My Life Without Me'). It's a pity, then, that the pace is so slow (the movie never really goes anywhere surprising from the original premise) and is laden down with heavy-handed symbolism, even when there's very little to symbolise. And for a film that is trying so hard to mean something, it's a bit disappointing that it makes some elementary errors (the bar, which never seems to contain more than one customer, is meant to be supporting the livelihoods of 4 people; while Liv Tyler's beautiful teenager is deep, enigmatic and troubled for reasons that are useful to the story but never otherwise explained). It's a shame, as there's a great short film somewhere in among the flabby tedium; but 'Heavy' is more the representation of an idea than a closely-observed vision of life, and at feature length feels self-important and overweight. The mere absence of flashiness does not itself make a film profound.
