October 28, 1996 -- Another in a seemingly endless string of movies based on Stephen King books hit the screen this weekend, and it is not one of King's better adaptations.

"Thinner" is a tale that teaches a moral about paying one's debts. A portly lawyer, Billy Halleck, (Robert John Burke), accidentally kills an old gypsy woman while driving after having had too much to eat and drink.

His influential friends, a judge and a police chief, make sure that Billy doesn't have to pay a legal penalty for his negligence. But an ancient gypsy Tadzu Lempke (Michael Constantine), the father of the old woman, uses his own brand of justice, placing curses on the judge, police chief and Billy.

Billy's curse doesn't seem like a curse at all at first. He seems to have found the perfect diet. He can eat all he wants and still lose weight. He begins to eat more and more and still loses weight. When strange maladies attack the police chief and judge, Billy begins to suspect what's going on.

Billy enlists the aid of Richie Ginelli (played by Joe Mantegna), a mobster who owes him a favor, to force Lempke to take off the curse. Ginelli uses violence to force the issue.

At the same time, Billy's wife, believing he has lost his mind, conspires with a friend to have Billy institutionalized for his own good. Billy believes his wife is having an affair with her friend.

As Billy becomes more desperate to save his life he also becomes consumed with hatred. He loses track of who his real friends are and makes tragic mistakes. The motivation for what happens at the end of the film is a little fuzzy. It seems a little contrived. This movie seemed to be of about the same quality as "Sleepwalkers" another Stephen King movie that came out in 1992, or his 1993 film, "Needful Things." This film does not measure up to King's better filmed stories such as "The Shawshank Redemption," "Dolores Claiborne" or "Carrie." This film rates a C.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 1996 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.