Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Thinner’

Written by Scott Edwards 

What does telling the truth actually do for you? We have all told little white lies over the years and have noticed that it does not hurt anyone, but when someone calls you out on it, what is your response? Having to keep your lies straight could be one of the hardest things you may ever have to do, but if you just told the truth, well then, you would never have to worry about forgetting what you have actually said.

Billy Halleck is at the top of his legal game. Knowing all of the ins and outs of the legal system is one thing, but he has taken it to the extreme by befriending his local judge along with law enforcement to ensure victory. Defending a crime boss and having the verdict turn his way once again, Billy knows that he is not stoppable in his town and will continue to work any of the high valued cases that come his way.  

After the trial, a band of gypsies have found a new camp in the middle of the city and although they are only there to have a good time, the town, especially the judge does not take their intrusion lightly. Demanding that the eyesore leaves as soon as possible, the group is none too happy and has to work a little bit harder to get by. When Billy and his wife are headed home after his victory dinner, Heidi, his wife decides to do a little extra activity in the car that makes Billy change his focus from the road to what she is doing.

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​Running over a gypsy woman in the middle of the street, Billy is given a free pass for his crime since the judge and investigating officer are already on his side. But the father of the fallen gypsy will not let this travesty go and curses all involved in the death of his daughter. Billy, sitting well above 300lbs, is given the curse of Thinner. Even though Billy has been trying to lose weight for several months, he has not been able to lose enough to be noticeable, but when the curse takes effect, Billy has to try to do everything in his power to keep is weight up.

Stephen King’s Thinner focuses on the life of Billy Halleck, an obese lawyer that believes that nothing can stop him. After committing vehicular homicide and being acquitted of all charges by his friends, he thinks that his life will continue as normal. But when an old gypsy man touches his face and curses Billy, he finds that there might be more to life than just winning. As Billy starts to lose weight, he believes that his latest diet has taken effect, but when the weight loss comes more drastically, he has to battle to keep his pounds up before he fades away into nothing. Finding that the medical field has nothing to offer him, Billy has to find the gypsy that cursed him and have the curse removed before he loses more than just a few pounds.  

Another one of those great tales from Stephen King that makes sure you understand the difference between right and wrong. Even if you are doing things that only seem to be affecting yourself, it is shown that your actions can affect others as well, more than you know. With Billy having the world on a string, he has to come to terms that there is someone, something more powerful than him that can take it all away at a glance and watching how the character evolves into that understanding is just fantastic. It is hard to turn your head away when you see what happens to the judge and the officer that were involved in the death of the gypsy woman as well and how they cope with their own situations, but Billy is the primary focus and he wants to survive for more than himself, but for his family as well. Stay Scared.

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