Choke

Victor Mancini is stuck in a routine he never planned for. He works in a historical theme park dressed as an eighteenth-century servant, and to cover his mother's hospital care he stages choking episodes in restaurants, counting on strangers to rescue him and then keep sending money out of gratitude. His mother, Ida, is in a psychiatric facility and no longer recognizes him. Victor is also a sex addict who attends group therapy sessions rather than honestly participating in them, while his friend Denny, a fellow member, keeps urging him to take the program seriously. A doctor treating his mother, Paige, raises the possibility of an experimental procedure that would require a genetically compatible donor, a suggestion that pulls Victor toward a decision about fathering a child.

The film is an adaptation of a Chuck Palahniuk novel, written and directed by Clark Gregg. It was Gregg's first feature as director; he went on to make Trust Me several years later. Sam Rockwell leads the cast as Victor, with Anjelica Huston as Ida, Kelly Macdonald as Paige, Brad William Henke as Denny, Bijou Phillips as Ursula, and Gregg himself appearing as Lord High Charlie. It runs 92 minutes.

Made for around 3 million dollars, the film earned roughly 4 million at the worldwide box office, a modest return. On IMDb it holds 6.4 out of 10 from about 35,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.1 from a much smaller group of voters.