December 22, 2010 -- This is a movie about addiction, but it is also a film about the power of determination to overcome addictions. Specifically, it tells the story of two friends with different kinds of addictions and what happens to them over a period of about one year. It is a low-budget movie that is well-written and well-acted by a cast of relative unknowns. Movies about addiction have been around for a long time, but this one is a worthy addition to the genre because it takes a very thoughtful approach and its characters are complex. It gives no simple answers.

Carmine Famiglietti plays Neil Perota, a morbidly obese 27-year-old gourmand who gets a wakeup call one day when he has a heart attack while driving a school bus and causes an accident in which he is injured. The injury, in turn interferes with the marriage ceremony of his sister, Theresa Perota (played by Sharon Angela of “The Sopranos” TV series). When the rescheduled wedding party turns into a rain-soaked disaster, Theresa's drunken husband, Anthony Lanzo (Lou Martini Jr.) gets into a fight with Neil causing a big commotion at the party. Theresa turns against her brother. Neil decides he has to take drastic action to turn his life around. That means getting away from home cooking and his favorite neighborhood restaurants. He moves away from home for the first time in his life. His mother, Connie (Susan Verona of “Changing Lanes”) is devastated. His father, Lou (Fil Formicola of “Living Out Loud”) is also upset.

Neil buys a three-acre tract of land in a remote, wooded area with a couple of run-down trailers and a couple of run-down cars. It is a long walk into town where the tempting food is. His plan is to cut back on eating with his friend, Sacco Valenzia (Michael Aronov). Sacco is thin, but he is a drug addict. Sacco tries to quit cold turkey, but when he and Neil get into a violent argument, Sacco leaves to go back to the city. He leaves behind a note saying “You do it your way. I'll do it my way.” Neil is on his own. He suffers some setbacks, but begins to cut back on his food intake and exercise more. He has no contact with his family. Only Sacco knows where Neil is living and he sticks by his promise not to tell anyone, including Neil's family.

Neil sticks to his weight loss plan, more or less. He is befriended by a local waitress, Lara Griffin (Miriam Shor of “Shortbus”). He also has another friend who visits, Lee Dawkins (Eric Leffler of “All the Wrong Places”). Dawkins is the man who sold him the property. Dawkins keeps an eye on Neil. He is worried about this city slicker who is obviously way out of his element. In the end, Neil learns a lot about himself and other people by living this Thoreau-like existence at his own version of Walden Pond. He emerges from the woods a better man.

As he is leaving to head back home, Dawkins tells him, “Just because you've changed, Neil, don't expect others have too.” Neil finds that the reactions he gets from his friends and family are difficult to deal with sometimes. He joins a group of overeaters for a series of therapy sessions. He has a chance meeting with Sacco. He has an aborted dinner with a girl he had long wanted to date, but sadly discovers that the ugliest part of her body is her mind. Neil discovers that even though he is back home among his friends and family, he is still just as much alone as he was in the woods, but he is much better off now. This film rates a B.

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