Any Richard Bachman fans out there? Back in 1984 he wrote a bestseller about a guy who lost a bunch of weight. It didn’t turn out so well for this guy, Billy Halleck. But good golly, wasn’t he a whiz at losing weight.
They made a movie about it about ten years later, which, predictably, wasn’t as good as the book, but it’s nice to have graphic components that underscore the dangers of this kind of drastic bariatric action. I’m watching it right now as AMC counts down toward Halloween.
It’s actually a pretty mediocre novel, and the movie’s pretty … ummm … what’s the word … bad.
But even bad literature can make a point here and there. And this one, schlock aside, makes a nice commentary on the American obsession with weight loss, and all the unhealthiness that sometimes comes with it.
You say you don’t remember Richard Bachman? How about Stephen King? And the name of the book? Thinner. File it under “be careful what you wish for.”
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But speaking of scary, while I was watching this movie I saw a commercial for Golden Corral. Apparently they now have a “lusciously amazing non-stop flowing river of chocolate indulgence.” One assumes it’s on the buffet right between the greasy chicken and soupy vat of mac and cheese.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Skipping Dessert 
Posted by Had to Pass This Along « Skipping Dessert on December 29, 2011 at 12:14 am
[…] On Wednesday, somebody actually searched the Google for the phrase “nonstop river of chocolate flowing indulgence.” Which is a scary-ass line from a Golden Corral ad I quoted (with some degree of disgust) in this post. […]