Fat Girl (2001)
74%RT Audience Score: 64%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 3 nominations
The controversial Fat Girl is an unflinchingly harsh but powerful look at female adolescence
Fat Girl is a movie that will make you want to take a vow of celibacy, or at least make you think twice about your teenage years. It’s a disturbing and brutal film that challenges its viewers to confront the horrors of adolescence. While some may find it too unrelenting, others will appreciate its honesty and poignant commentary on everyday sexism. Overall, Fat Girl is a masterpiece that deserves to be seen by those who are open to its meanings and willing to be challenged.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Chenault Productions,
Distributor
Lionsgate Films, Cowboy Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
La Palmyre, Saintonge, Charente, France
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2001
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 26m
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Language(s):French, Italian, English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 2001 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 19, 2004
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Anais Reboux, Roxane Mesquida, Arsinée Khanjian, Romain Goupil, Laura Betti, Albert Goldberg, Libero De Rienzo, Catherine Breillat, Drama, French (France), Lionsgate Films, Cowboy Pictures, Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR, Flat (1.85:1), directed by Catherine Breillat, written by Catherine Breillat, reviewed by Alyx Vesey, Kimberley Jones, Geoff Pevere, Manohla Dargis, Rick Groen, Eric Harrison, B Ruby Rich, Steve Erickson, Lindsay Pugh, Cole Smithey, Ken Hanke, Anaïs Pingot, Elena, Mother, Father, Fernando’s Mother, The Killer, loss of virginity, female adolescence, box office gross $724.1K, MPAA rating R, Lionsgate Films, Cowboy Pictures, French drama, coming of age, female sexuality, controversial, unflinching, harsh, powerful, tragic, disturbing, honest, poignant, sad, fantasy, ennui-stricken, brutal, hard-hitting, graphic, realistic, passionate, amazing cinematography, brilliantly filmed
Worldwide gross: $765,705
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,290,434
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,534
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 140,723
US/Canada gross: $725,854
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,223,273
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,139
US/Canada opening weekend: $31,237
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $52,643
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,192
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Roxane Mesquida – Elena
Arsinée Khanjian – Mother
Romain Goupil – Father
Laura Betti – Fernando’s Mother
Albert Goldberg – The Killer
Director(s)
Catherine Breillat
Writer(s)
Catherine Breillat
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 3 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (87) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (64) | Rotten (23)
While hardly enamored with Fat Girl, I was fine with it until its conclusion.
January 5, 2021
Alyx Vesey
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
March 10, 2003 | Rating: 1.5/5
Kimberley Jones
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Bold but unrelenting in its depiction of both physical and emotional aggression, Fat Girl will be bracing for those open to its challenges and brutal for those who aren’t.
February 24, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
A strange, discomfiting and fascinating film about the horrors of adolescence.
February 24, 2003
Manohla Dargis
L.A. Weekly
TOP CRITIC
It’s compelling, honest, poignant, somewhat sad and, at the end, very disturbing — in short, quite a good movie.
February 24, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
This is not one of [Breillat’s] better efforts.
May 31, 2002 | Rating: C+
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
From its tranquil beginning to its shocking finish, Fat Girl shows Breillat to be a world-class artist working at the top of her form — even when the lessons of gender, sexuality and social custom may be hard to swallow.
February 28, 2020
B. Ruby Rich
The Nation
Far from being a mere provocateur (although she certainly is one), Breillat shines a light on the way everyday sexism degrades all concerned.
October 24, 2018
Steve Erickson
Nashville Scene
I first saw this movie when I was 13 years old and it made me want to take a vow of celibacy. It is brutal and if seen at a formative age, inescapable.
October 24, 2018
Lindsay Pugh
Woman in Revolt
Like Breillat’s debut feature (“A Real Young Girl”) “Fat Girl” is a masterpiece awaiting inspection by audiences open to its meanings and insightful commentary.
January 1, 2017 | Rating: A+
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
One of the most disturbing films I’ve ever seen.
April 14, 2010 | Rating: 4.5/5
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
I first saw Fat Girl upon its original US theatrical release in 2001. I left the theater exhilarated. Three years on, I feel I had been fooled.
October 27, 2004
Matt Bailey
Not Coming to a Theater Near You…
Plot
A Ma Soeur! is a provocative and shocking drama about sibling rivalry, family discord and relationships. Elena is 15, beautiful and flirtatious. Her less confident sister, Anais, is 12, and constantly eats. On holiday, Elena meets a young Italian student who is determined to seduce her. Anais is forced to watch in silence, conspiring with the lovers, but harbouring jealousy and similar desires. Their actions, however, have unforeseen tragic consequences for the whole family.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Fat Girl on Fresh Kernels.
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