'Choke' is raunchy but elicits guarded laughs

The trustees of Colonial Williamsburg would surely step forward to proclaim that "Choke" was not filmed locally. No sir-ee.

"Choke" is a movie about a tour guide ("historical interpreter") at a Colonial history theme park who is addicted to sex. It develops from there.

"Choke" richly deserves its R rating but, at the same time, it is like a child who says a naughty word and must be scolded, even if, out of sight of the little bugger, you chuckle. It is raunchy to the core, but satirical. It is outrageous in a way that the revered 2001 novel by Chuck Palahniuk reportedly avoided. And - whew! - it was filmed on a low budget in New Jersey. Its Colonial park is totally fictional.

Sam Rockwell, a gifted creator of outsider and eccentric characters, scores again with the role of Victor Mancini, who dresses in 18th century garb by day but makes his real money at night at expensive restaurants by pretending to choke and milking his rescuers for cash.

He needs to make money to keep his demented mother (Anjelica Huston) in a mental institution.

Mommy Dearest doesn't recognize him most of the time. Kelly Macdonald, an attractive person he believes to be a doctor in the institution, is into stem cell research. She's delighted when she checks up on things and reveals that Victor may really be a clone, or something, of Jesus Christ. This disturbs more than overjoys him.

There is a pile-up of subplots that should irritate or infuriate devout Catholics (if they really insist upon paying any attention to a movie like this).

Victor's best friend is a big, likable guy played by Brad William Henke. He's a chronic masturbator who accompanies Victor to Sex Addicts Anonymous class. Victor has sex with women in bathrooms, in closets, just about anywhere other than a bed.

This is the second adaptation of a Palahniuk novel. The first was the disastrous "Fight Club" (1999), which was just as absurd but not funny. Here, there are some fine performances.

Rockwell is good every time out, and he's proved that, like the early Johnny Depp, he doesn't care about the box office as long as the part is eccentric. Someday he'll find, like Depp, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" role that will allow him to cross over into the mainstream.

Huston, an Academy Award winner for "Prizzi's Honor" (1985), brings a kind of noble but pathetic quality to the mother, seen often in flashback. She was a pathological criminal who fled cross country with little Victor in tow. Huston, daughter of the legendary director John Huston, is fearless.

Writer-director Clark Gregg brings his movie in at under 90 minutes, a wise choice, even if it does leave such big topics as redemption and love undeveloped.

After all, Victor only gets as far as Step Three in his 12-Step program to get cured.

Mal Vincent, (757) 446-2347, mal.vincent@pilotonline.com