“Fatso”

Have you all seen the movie “Fatso” starring Dom DeLuise? It was made in 1980. Thanks to the power of Netflix, I heard about it and was able to watch it last night. Ironically, while I was on the treadmill.

I highly, highly, highly recommend it for anyone who has ever had a problem with overeating.  It’s both heartbreaking and hysterical.  Here is the plot summary from Amazon:

From the day he was born, food has always been the ultimate comfort for middle-aged bachelor Dominick DiNapoli (Dom DeLuise). But when his obese cousin Sal dies at 39, Dom must finally come to terms with his own weight problem. From quack doctors and harsh diets to his overbearing Italian family and a fanatical support group called ‘The Chubby Checkers’, nothing can come between a man and his manicotti. Could a new love with a neighborhood woman (Candice Azzara of EASY MONEY) finally curb Dominick’s out-of-control appetite or will self-doubt eat away at his last chance for happiness? Ron Carey (HIGH ANXIETY) and Estelle Reiner (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY) co-star in this bittersweet yet delicious comedy written and directed by Anne Bancroft (winner of the 1962 Academy Award® for Best Actress, THE MIRACLE WORKER).

After I finished it on the treadmill, my dad started watching it while I was in the shower.  When I got out, I ended up finishing it with him, too.  That’s twice in one night!  One of my favorite scenes was when he was feeling really down because he fell particularly hard “off the wagon.”   A conversation with the woman he has a crush on:

“It’s the second time since Sal died.  The second time in a week.”

“Please don’t feel bad.  Everybody falls.  Christ fell three times.  And he was Christ!”

Another scene that I really liked was when he had gone to see a diet doctor and they were giving him a list of Do’s and Don’ts as far as what he could eat.  Let’s just say the Don’ts list was devastatingly long and contained just about anything yummy in the universe.  The tears just start rolling down his cheeks.  Man, I so identified with that.

I really wish that I had found this movie years ago.  It was just fantastic all around, though one character I really really disliked and wanted to smack.  Dom DeLuise is an amazing actor.  I really only knew him from comedies, so this was a real treat.  Of course, there IS quite a bit of comedy in this movie, as well.

Almost from the beginning, it made me think of “Lbs.“  And I definitely would put it up there right with it.  If it had come out today, you’d probably see as many posts on my blog about it as you do about “Lbs.”  The big/main difference is that “Fatso” is more of a “Hollywood-esque” movie with the perfect fairy tale ending.  Also, while Dom was a bit chubby around the middle, neither my dad nor I thought he was that big.  Also, as with “Lbs.” I wondered how it would have been different with a female lead.

So have any of you seen it?  I think I shall be checking eBay for a copy soon.