Choke

**1/2 Stars

Choke is an easily watchable film that unfortunately tries to please everyone. Leading man Sam Rockwell scores, while the film itself is another story. From the author of Fight Club, Choke revolves around the life of Victor Mancini, a somewhat repulsive sex-addict who spends more time in relapse than actual recovery. He sleeps with what feels like over a hundred women and fantasizes what sex would be like with every woman he sees. Regardless of looks. Regardless of age. Regardless of mental stability. He is a medical school drop-out who spends his days as a Colonial-Time tour guide, or what he calls it, a historical interpretor. The only thing he interprets is how on earth he is going to have sex that day. It's rather unpleasant because the man is hard to root for. He's a mild jerk who rarely cares about others. Rockwell has a special charm that elevates the material, but Choke chokes on its own self-absorbed style. It's Californication, if Hank Moody was a tumultuous, pompous, and disturbing sex-stalker.