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SummaryAn obese attorney is cursed by a gypsy to rapidly and uncontrollably lose weight.

Thinner

Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
33
User score
Mixed or Average
5.6
My Score
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Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
33
0% Positive
0 Reviews
50% Mixed
7 Reviews
50% Negative
7 Reviews
  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
60
The New York Times
A tale of negligent homicide, class warfare, vengeance, jealousy and murder, Stephen King's Thinner has the outlines of Shakespearean tragedy and the intellectual content of a jack o'lantern. But as such ventures go, this Halloween handout is more treat than trick, if your tastes run to dripping blood and repellent skin ailments. The production is slick, the Maine scenery is bracing, the characters are well-acted, and in a mumbo-jumbo movie with a few loose ends, the makeup central to the plot and applied by Greg Cannom and Bob Laden to Robert John Burke in the leading role is most admirable.
50
Boston Globe
Never quite scary, never funny for long, never enough over-the-top. It's never compelling plotwise, either, especially toward the sloppy ending, when Mantegna is inexplicably erased from the plot. [26 Oct 1996, p.F3]
User score
Mixed or Average
5.6
38% Positive
12 Ratings
34% Mixed
11 Ratings
28% Negative
9 Ratings
  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
Aug 11, 2023
7
Luchidor
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Jan 31, 2021
6
FilipeNeto
Movies about gypsy curses are always interesting because it is something that is not often addressed by horror cinema. I, at least, have this perception. In this case, the film has the advantage of being based on yet another story created by Stephen King's seething mind. The story is based on Billy. He is an obese lawyer who has tried to lose weight with successive diets, without success due to an absolute lack of willpower to carry them out. However, one night, while driving distractedly, he runs over an old gypsy woman, killing her. The gypsies go to court, expecting him to be convicted in some way, but the judge takes the case as an accident and Billy leaves unpunished. In order to prevent that, and at least to have some justice, the old gypsy, father of the dead woman and head of the community, goes to Billy and puts a terrible curse on him: losing weight until death. The film has good premises and a promising story, but it also has several problems: for a start, black humor is not for everyone. I like it, but I understand if someone tells me they don't like it. Another problem (for me, it was not a problem) is that the film makes us feel guilty for sympathizing with a man who ran over a person and got away with it. In fact, Billy is friendly and pleasant, and the gypsies are portrayed in such a dark way that it is impossible to sympathize with them or with what they say and think. Robert John Burke is very good in the main role and the way he embodies the enormous physical and mental transformation of the character is a remarkable job. Joe Mantegna, too, as a violent but loyal mobster, is doing very well. But even better than him is a great Daniel von Bargen, a lesser known actor, but who was excellent in the role he was given. Kari Wuhrer and Lucinda Jenney also contribute, in minor characters. Technically, the film is quite average. Cinematography does not stand out particularly, and the same could be said for the soundtrack, costumes and sets. What is really to be congratulated are the visual and special effects, for the way they managed to transform an extremely obese person into a real corpse. We also cannot forget the good work of the makeup artists, essential for the misshapen appearance of other characters in this film, also cursed by the gypsies.
40
New York Daily News
Holland's direction is functional, as befits the kind of cable fodder Thinner is destined to be.
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
The dramatic justification for all this careless maligning of gypsies and lawyers remains as enigmatic as the film's title. The only sure thing about Stephen King's Thinner,in the end, is that Stephen King's bank account is fatter.
30
Variety
There’s really nothing particularly fresh in this routinely crafted, banally scripted and directed effort. Mantegna’s humorously arrogant performance is the pic’s sole distinctive element, and it’s saved for the finale. Still, it’s just not good enough to make up for the rest of the drudgery and put a smile on one’s face leaving the theater.
20
Austin Chronicle
Apart from its rushed pacing and occasionally stale dialogue, Thinner suffers even more from the fact that it has no redeemable characters.
12
Baltimore Sun
Thinner provides little suspense and no chills, not to mention rather offensive treatment of Gypsies, Italians and women. Acting isn't at a premium either.
See All 14 Critic Reviews
Jul 11, 2017
6
TheQuietGamer
It's an interesting premise and a decent story. Although this is one of those Stephen King adaptions where one has to wonder if it would have been better off just staying as a book. King has a lot of interesting works out there that would do well as a movie, but Thinner? There's a lot of just watching the guy grow increasingly wary of his situation before actually doing anything. Yet, despite being an odd choice I feel director and writer Tom Holland did a pretty good job with the material. Thinner is basically a body-horror, revenge movie. One where just about every character is out to get someone else. The real problem with the movie is that no one is in the right. No one deserves to get their revenge, because most of the people they want to get revenge on haven't actually done anything that bad. At least not intentionally. It's just one simple mistake that spirals wildly out of control because everybody wants to get all justice happy. I mean, yeah it's a crappy situation and certain characters did try to weasel their way out of it, but the punishments don't fit the crimes. Especially since everyone sort of brought all of this on themselves. This could have been forgivable had the movie tried to use it to teach viewers something. Like forgiveness, taking responsibility for our actions, and how taking justice into our own hands only makes things worse. However it doesn't do that. We watch the main character go through all of the movie's events and literally learn nothing. If anything, he ends up a worse person. Missed opportunity. Now, if you've actually read through all of this it probably sounds like I hated the movie. That isn't quite the case. In fact I think it's an okay watch. Some of that Stephen King magic is still present. We get some interesting scenarios like a dream sequence involving a gypsy carnival. Also, like I said the premise is interesting. If you like Stephen King then you should like the movie.
Jun 13, 2020
3
JLuis_001
I can't take seriously a film that's supposed to be horror when at all times what I'm watching seems like a complete parody of cheap humor. Terrible adaptation.
See All 32 User Reviews
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  • Laurel Productions
  • Spelling Films
Oct 25, 1996
1 h 33 m
R
Be careful what you wish for.
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Nomination
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards
• 1 Nomination
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