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Stephen King's Thinner

1996, Movie, R, 93 mins

Stephen King's Thinner: Review

STEPHEN KING'S THINNER
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A poor adaptation of the early Stephen King novel, itself a variation on the sci-fi classic THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN. Mob lawyer Billy Halleck (Robert John Burke), a compulsive overeater who tips the scales at 300 pounds, finally finds a diet that works. One night, Billy carelessly runs down an old gypsy woman. Though he beats a vehicular manslaughter rap, Billy winds up facing a much harsher judge: the old woman's father (Michael Constantine), a 106- year-old gypsy king, who curses Billy with what he so desperately wished for -- rapid weight loss. What at first seems a blessing quickly turns into a nightmare as he begins dropping the pounds at an alarming rate, and Billy risks disappearing altogether. The script is silly (the goofy dialogue doesn't improve on King's own -- never a good sign) and the acting uniformly awful, but much can be forgiven in a horror picture of this sort if the makeup effects pay off. They don't: Constantine is made to look alarmingly like Buddy Hackett, and once the obvious fat suit comes off Burke he's either wrapped in a blanket or shot only from the neck up. Halloween makes fright fans even more tolerant than usual of second-rate horror pictures, and this one still doesn't cut the mustard. leave a comment
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