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The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

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Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

Careless Love

Sidestepping a more extreme take on prostitution, this is a quietly impressive portrait of a young woman caught in a tragic situation.

Empire Of Silver

Its backdrop is a rich and fascinating one, but the film is let down by a screenplay and direction that fails to register on a personal level.

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A Matter Of Size (Film)

by Travis Johnson | November 21, 2011 13:10 | Edited November 21, 2011 13:23

Despite its admirable intentions as a feel good comedy tackling topical issues, this lacks the deft directorial touch required and remains strangely downbeat throughout.

A kind of Israeli version of The Full Monty, with obesity subbing for unemployment as the social issue propelling the plot, and sumo wrestling (thankfully) taking the place of stripping, A Matter Of Size has all the ingredients of a crowd pleaser. That it doesn't quite come together as such is a bit of a puzzlement.

 

Herzl (Itzik Cohen) is our plus-sized protagonist, a salad chef who has so much trouble shedding the pounds that he's banished from the local diet club. Quitting his job after being told that his appearance is drawing complaints from the clientele, he finds work in a sushi restaurant. It is there that he first encounters the odd, ritualised world of sumo wrestling, a sport where fatsos are feted. It's not long before he's roping his friends into forming their own sumo league, under the steely tutelage of sushi chef and former sumo coach, Kitano (Togo Igawa, from the recent French drama, The Hedgehog).

 

The film tackles meaty subject matter as the characters wrestle with notions of self-esteem, body image, and even sexuality - one of Herzl's fellow wrestlers, Gidi (Alon Dahan), is in the closet. But while these are all topical issues, there's a heavy-handedness that isn't leavened by the movie's attempts at comedy. Herzl is a dour protagonist, deeply unhappy with his lot in life, and even his romance with the twice-divorced Zehava (Irit Kaplan) does little to lift his spirits. Even though the story is the absolute archetype of a feel-good comedy, tonally it remains somewhat downbeat, even when it's trying to be uplifting. There's a Hollywood remake already in the works and, for once, that may be no bad thing - while admirable in its intent, A Matter Of Size lacks the deft handling needed to make it enjoyable as well as worthy.