Anne Bancroft wrote, directed, and acted in this uneven comedy that doesn't know quite what it wants to be. It's somewhat about a likable fat man (Dom DeLuise) who loves his food, but it's also about him yearning for a young woman (Candice Azzara). When Dom's younger brother Salvatore drops dead at only age 39 from being morbidly obese, Dom is pestered by his overbearing sister (Bancroft) to get his butt to a doctor and lose some weight. While this could have been a sure recipe for some really hilarious stuff, the script just isn't that funny, and it veers from humorous attempts to some pathos that don't really come together. Instead, Dom only half-heartedly bothers with his dieting dilemma, and quite frankly, DeLuise is not really THAT fat here to begin with. The best funny scene occurs one evening when Dom cannot control his appetite and maniacally awakens his sleeping brother (Ron Carey) while brandishing a gun and a knife if he won't unlock the fridge. But such ripe opportunities for some good laughs are few and far between. ** out of ****
Review of Fatso
