Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

moonspinner55 Solemn, but terrific mood piece about a shy, chubby cook in a rivertown restaurant who fantasizes about getting to know the new waitress who just hired on, a perky young thing with long brunette hair and a big charming smile. Graceful film never goes the commercial route, neither injecting shady characters into the mix nor throwing in blatant jokes to give the film comedic uplift. The picture is all on one level, which may drive some viewers batty with impatience, but I found the whole thing quietly invigorating. The lead character, Victor (Pruitt Taylor Vince), daydreams, watches airplanes, has secret hopes; he's a loner, and the filmmakers are careful not to flood the screen with potential conquests. There's Debbie Harry as a loose waitress with weary eyes and Liv Tyler, the new hire, who brings fantasy into Victor's life, but, as with all fantasies, the advent of reality diffuses the passionate tension. Everyone is sad in this film, and I imagine some audiences won't get with it, but I admire director James Mangold for putting this story on film so eloquently. It's a new "Marty". *** from ****

Andy (film-critic) Watching Heavy only confirmed the idea that director James Mangold may be suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder. He needs medication or at least the ability to complete a thought before he tries to ramble us through another emotional sentence. Heavy could have been a very complete and emotional film using some raw talent that prior to this had never been explored. There could have been a very strong story developed behind Pruitt Taylor Vince's character of Victor instead of the inconsistent scenes that I witnessed. Liv Tyler could have honestly stepped up in the Hollywood atmosphere on this film alone, if she would have just attempted to take one small chance and go outside of herself. The same could be said for both Shelly Winters and Deborah Harry, who just never felt anything more creative than a walking cliché. Mangold had the power in his hands to really set the stage on fire, but instead we are forced to watch a very inconsistent, obscure, and emotionally voided film that tries to tackle too many issues, without solving any in the long run.I initially envisioned Heavy's story line to be about a man, concerned about his weight, being the outcast member of society. At first, and at brief intermittent moments of the film, that was the case, but something changed as the other characters were introduced. Liv Tyler became a disturbing obsession instead of a passionate, yet simple, love for Victor. There are scenes in which Vince thinks that he sees a dead Callie walking through his house or even floating in a puddle, but alas, they are only daydreams. Why were they daydreams? What was the overall relevance of these scenes? Was it to show a different side, a troubled side, to Victor, or was it merely used to confuse the audience? I thought that perhaps she was representing Victor's mother, but even that was stretching a bit. It was moments like this that really brought a speed bump into this film. There were other scenes similar to this one that really pulled us away from the central focus of the film, the growth of Victor. The encounters with Leo seemed forced, and the clichéd and random sexual advances of Delores seemed to come out of left field. The moments between Victor and his mother didn't even feel real. I felt as if Shelly Winters was speaking from a cue card instead of her heart. There was one emotional scene where it felt as stale as cardboard, yet it was supposed to evoke tears. Pathetic. I felt at times that Mangold had one of those "Choose your own plot books" and just randomly flipped through it during this film.Outside of random plot interjections coming at you from every angle (quite distractingly), there was some decent acting from our lead character Victor played by Pruitt Taylor Vince. Vince was able to bottle up the emotions of the situations around him very well, the twitching eyes was not something that I thought helped build his character (was that a acting trait or actually Vince's eyes), while the stress eating moments did seem very human. Vince is a strong actor. He is typically cast as the psycho in most films, but I thought in this film he did stretch his wings a bit. It wasn't far, but he brought compassion and emotion to a very forgettable character. He is the only one worth watching in this film, while the rest of the cast just hurt the film further. Liv Tyler has trouble acting. She talks about never taking an acting class before, and in this film you can tell. She brought nothing new to the screen. The connection between her and Vince was non-existent. There was no chemistry, no power, nothing that made me really see a love between the two. These two have a very silly match.Outside of the acting and the zigzag plot, there was not much else going for the film. The music was a tease. There were some scenes where you would have Vince walking along the road, powerful, emotional, and together, and the music would suddenly change. Either it was poor editing or just bad music placement, but it seemed to be jumping just as much as Vince's eyes. It made me cringe in my seat. I just get extremely worked up about films that claim to be an emotional powerhouse of an independent film, yet it feels like crayons were used instead of the power of the paintbrush. Again, Mangold had a great film under the surface of all this muck, but it just wasn't worth wading through to get to.Overall, I was not impressed with this film. If Mangold would have stayed the course, kept us glued to Vince's powerful character, and developed him using the other minor characters around him, than I think it would have been a winner. If Liv Tyler would have been a stronger central character and perhaps stepped outside of her lines, than we may have had a winner. If the point would have been to show a weak man overcome the boundaries of his life, than I think we would have had a winner. Instead, we are left with unattached moments that come from left field and walking cardboard characters that spit cliché lines into the sky instead of to the viewers. Heavy had so much potential, one can only blame Mangold for all these disasters. Skip it. Have yourself a big pizza and watch some Chris Farley films. Now, there was a big guy that was random, but could at least hold a script together! Grade: ** out of *****

davejohnson15 This film is without doubt the most boring I have ever seen. I watched it in fast forward a lot of the time because watching paint drying is more interesting. The only reason that I didn't switch off was because I wanted to see the hopefully, happy ending but, that was not to be. This was half expected because I couldn't believe that Cally could ever be remotely interested in someone like Vic. His part must have been really easy to learn as all he did was look and not speak. I found myself shouting 'Say something!' at the TV but all he did was look. The parts where there was not supposed to be any dialogue were really dragged out as well. I understand that the director(?) Mangold has also made 'Kate and Leopold'. That WAS an enjoyable film so perhaps this is just a temporary blip. I hope so.

Raptor Marmalade "Heavy" is not the type of movie I would watch when looking for action, thrills, horror, or adventure. It's not about a fat guy making goo-goo eyes at a pretty waitress where he makes pizzas, either... although that could be seen from an outsider's glance.The movie captures a period of time where our big hero, Victor, is experiencing a number of life-altering changes. From what we know, he has always led a sheltered life under the regime of his mother. When a new waitress, Callie (Liv Tyler), starts work at the bar, Victor's daily life is suddenly altered from a spark of curiosity. He's not a perverted horndog, but he is fascinated by this girl's kindness and beauty, watching her from afar and having visions of her as the drama grows. It's the quiet internal struggle Victor faces that really heightens the intensity of the movie. Those nervous eyes, the quiet voice, the big guy who won't fight back... he is a man trying to become a man. By the end of the film, we are at least given the hope that he is now on the right track.It's the subtle moments in "Heavy" that really make the film. From the airplanes soaring overhead, giving transition to new points in the lives of the characters, to the Boston Terrier noticing important details, this movie is one to sit back and ponder. The more I think about this movie, the more I like it. It's a lesson on how the quiet subtle moments in life can be the most important.