The Whale: trailer, release date and everything we know

Brendan Fraser in The Whale (Image credit: A24)

Brendan Fraser was a bona fide movie star in the 1990s, but has been under the radar in the 21st century. That looks to change with The Whale, a new drama starring Fraser from director Darren Aronofsky.

The Whale, which comes from a screenplay by Samuel D. Hunter (Baskets) based on his own play, is garnering Oscar buzz for Fraser’s physical transformation, but what else do you need to know about this new movie? Let’s take a look at the key details.

The Whale release date

The Whale comes to US audiences on December 9. The movie has set a UK release date of February 3, 2023. Find out more about how to watch The Whale here.

The Whale reviews — what the critics are saying

The Whale reviews are in, with the movie receiving generally positive reviews across the board. What to Watch's The Whale review champions Brendan Fraser's performance, though admits that it can at times outshine the rest of the movie.

General consensus on The Whale has it scoring a 70% "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Whale awards and nominations

We're tracking the major awards and nominations that The Whale receives. Check them out here:

Golden Globes

Best Actor: Drama — Brendan Fraser (nominee)

Critics Choice Awards

Best Actor — Brendan Fraser (nominee)
Best Young Actor/Actress — Sadie Sink (nominee)
Best Adapted Screenplay — Samuel D. Hunter (nominee)
Best Hair and Makeup (nominee)

London Critics Circle Awards

Actor of the Year — Brendan Fraser (nominee)
Supporting Actress of the Year — Hong Chau (nominee)

Venice Film Festival

Golden Lion (nominee)
Best Film in a Foreign Language (winner)
Premio CinemaSara Award — Darren Aronofsky (winner)
Leoncino d'Oro Agiscuola Award — Darren Aronofsky (winner)

Gotham Awards

Outstanding Lead Performance — Brendan Fraser (nominee)
Outstanding Supporting Performance — Hong Chau (nominee)

The Whale trailer

Watch the trailers for The Whale directly below:

The Whale plot

Here is the official synopsis of The Whale from studio A24:

"From Darren Aronofsky comes The Whale, the story of a reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption."

As mentioned above, the screenplay is based on the play from Hunter.

The Whale cast

Brendan Fraser headlines the cast of The Whale, playing a teacher, Charlie, who has to deal with severe obesity (Fraser wore a prosthetic weight suit to help with the physical transformation). Those from the 90s remember Fraser when he was at the height of his stardom, appearing in movies like The Mummy, Airheads, George of the Jungle and Gods and Monsters. While he has still been active in recent years, he has not been able to reach the same heights as he did in the 90s, mostly appearing in TV shows and smaller, less heralded movies.

However, Fraser’s comeback has been in the works for a bit now. He had a supporting role in Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move, has appeared in the TV series Doom Patrol and was set to play the villain in Batgirl, before Warner Bros. canceled the movie. However, The Whale is said to be a showcase for the actor and with roles in more high-profile movies on the horizon, including Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, we’re going to be seeing more of Brendan Fraser very soon.

The cast surrounding Fraser in The Whale includes Stranger Things star Sadie Sink as Ellie, Hong Chau (Homecoming) as Liz, Ty Simpkins (Jurassic World) as Thomas and Samantha Morton (The Serpent Queen) as Mary.

Sadie Sink in The Whale (Image credit: A24)

How long is The Whale?

The Whale has a run time of one hour and 57 minutes.

What is The Whale rated?

The Whale is rated R in the US for "language, some drug use and sexual content." There is not a rating at this time for the UK.

Darren Aronofsky movies

The Whale is directed by Darren Aronofsky. The director has been around the indie movie scene since the 90s and has built a reputation for his often challenging and narratively ambitious movies. Though one of his best-reviewed movies was The Wrestler, which like The Whale was a redemption story.

Here are the movies that Aronofsky has directed so far in his career: