“Choke” is characterized by a sex addict con man, Victor Mancini, played by Sam Rockwell, who goes through life with no attachments or passions until he is woken up by a patient posing as a doctor, Paige Marshall, played by Kelly Macdonald.

Clark Gregg’s directorial debut falls short of the novel, “Choke” written by Chuck Palahniuk, acclaimed transgressional fiction author of “Fight Club.”

By working at a colonial theme park and scamming people by choking on food in upscale restaurants, Mancini manages to pay for full-time elder care for his mother with dementia.

Finding true feelings with Marshall, Mancini goes through many experiences hoping that Marshall will help his mother explain who his father was.

The elder care facility was not portrayed as disturbing as it was described in the novel and many details seem to be cut to keep the flow of the film on a stepped up pace.

Fueled by the failing health of Ida, Mancini’s mother, played by Anjelica Houston, Mancini struggles with the fact that he does not know who his father was.

Mancini’s best friend, Edwin, also shared an addiction to sex, and they go to Sex Anonymous meetings together. Mancini realizes that through a series of events that he is afraid of what love really means

Throughout the film, flashbacks to when Mancini was a child keep the even keel between what becomes more and more twisted in present time, and also more cleverly placed in an order true to the style Palahniuk writes in.

As obvious a choice as it is, this film is rated R for its strong sexual content, nudity and language.

This film is not for everyone, but if you like dark and grimy humor this is definitely recommendable.