Fatso: Dom DeLuise's Food-Filled Classic
Remembering Dom DeLuise in Anne Bancroft's Comedy
May 14, 2009
Written and directed by Anne Bancroft, Fatso is the story of Dominick DiNapoli (DeLuise), a tender-hearted Italian whose most serious relationship is with food – until Lydia (Candice Azzara) comes along. Can he sacrifice one love for the other or will he forever remain a lonely “fatso”?
Although this comedy has its sluggish moments and audiences may become weary of DeLuise's tears, the film has actually become more relevant since its release in 1980. As obesity rates continue to rise in America, modern audiences can connect with Dom's love-hate relationship with food. His struggles may be the basis for a comedic plot, but Fatso isn't one giant fat joke; beneath every laugh, there is a serious undercurrent that reminds the audience there's a real problem.
So Long, Sal...Hello, Diet Doctor
After his young cousin Sal dies after years of overindulging in fatty foods and sugary treats, the plump Dom finds solace in reaching for food as others would reach for tissues. When his overwrought sister Antoinette (Bancroft) goes on an over-the-top tyrade, badgering poor Sal in his oversized casket for never trying to lose weight, she turns her attentions to Dom.
“The good people are the fat people, and the fat people die young,” she weeps while slipping him the business card of a local diet doctor.
Chubby Checkers
Dom joins a support group for overeaters called Chubby Checkers, but after a night of being plagued by tempting ads for decadent food he nearly kills his brother in one classic scene. The normally docile Dom turns maniacal and chases him with a fake gun, followed by a real knife, trying to retrieve the key to unlock his shackled cabinets and refrigerator. His Chubby Checkers pals try to intervene after a late-night call for help, but end up gorging themselves after a detailed conversation about their favorite forbidden foods.
How Much is That Girl in the Window?
From the hot-dog vendors and pizza parlors that line his route to work to the tables laden with sweets and treats in his own greeting cards shop, food is a constant temptation. But there's one treat in the window he can't resist: the soft-spoken Lydia (Azzara) who peers out at Dom from her shop around the corner. This angel with a halo of blonde curls dazzles him, but the edible walls he's built around himself might just stand in the way of true love.
Dom Deluise as Dominick DiNapoli
DeLuise was the perfect choice to play the sensitive Dom. He has a knack for making his own tears induce laughter or heartbreak; his solitary teardrop while the austere nurse reads his list of food 'don'ts' is classic comedy, while his tears of shame in front of Lydia are painful. While Azzara is a quiet, somewhat boring counterpart to lively DeLuise, he connects most strongly with another character – food. Food inspires comradery, laughter, tears, guilt, and rage, and DeLuise moves through these stages with ease.
Anne Bancroft as Antoinette
If food is a salve for Dom, then anger is the comfort of choice for Antoinette. Bancroft send her character into heights of hysteria that provide some of the funniest scenes in the film, such as her fist-pounding destruction of her son Anthony's birthday cake after deliveryman Dom sneaks a slice on the way home. “You ate the 'Ony!” she screams. She is undeniably, but purposefully over-the-top in her portrayal of stereotypical Italian temperament.
Ron Carey as Frankie “Junior” DiNapoli
Frankie is Dom's frustrated roommate who's tired of watching his big brother binge and weep, not to mention inspiring the ire of Antoinette. Carey plays Frankie as an easily frustrated tough guy with a sensitive spot for his older brother. His scenes involving the Chubby Checkers are particularly memorable as he eyes the large men reminiscing about food as if they were convicts recalling old crimes.
Overall, Fatso is a worthwhile comedy that depicts a realistic struggle of a lonely man searching for happiness. It pokes fun at temptation without trivializing the issue, and shows when we take ourselves too seriously, and when we don't take ourselves seriously enough.
