History YMMV / TheWhale

* HarsherInHindsight: Charlie firmly tells Thomas that he's "read every bit of writing New Life has published" when the latter tries to preach to him. At first, it seems like he's just dealt with a lot of missionaries before. However, the movie later reveals that New Life doesn't have any missionaries and Charlie's late boyfriend was a member before he committed suicide. It's likely that Charlie read everything they published in an attempt to understand why his boyfriend took his own life.

* JustHereForGodzilla: Many viewers just tuned in to see the return of Brendan Fraser to the big screen as a leading role.

* AwardSnub: While Fraser and Creator/HongChau scored nominations from the Academy, Creator/SadieSink was passed over.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with blockbuster movies, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise, or comedies like ''Film/GeorgeOfTheJungle'' or ''Film/Bedazzled2000''. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1998's ''Film/GodsAndMonsters'' or 2002's ''Film/TheQuietAmerican'', would know his capabilites as a dramatic actor. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of Charlie, a suicidal man who is also clearly very intelligent and selfless, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* JustHereForGodzilla: Many viewers just tuned in to see the return of Creator/BrendanFraser to the big screen as a leading role.

* AcceptableReligiousTargets: The character of Thomas provides a vehicle for [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructing the homophobia]] frequently shown by members of Christian faiths. [[https://www.vox.com/23351293/whale-movie-review-fraser-aronofsky It's not a coincidence that the story is set in the town of Moscow, Idaho, which has significant populations of Mormons and Christian Reconstructionists.]] Thomas could easily be taken for a Mormon missionary in his suit and his persistance in knocking on Charlie's door every day. [[spoiler:Thomas convinces himself that he's trying to save Charlie's soul. He's left speechless when Charlie gives him TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. It becomes clear that the New Life church ruined both Charlie's life and his now departed partner's life, Alan.]]

* JerkassWoobie: Ellie. She may be unpleasant, but she was [[spoiler:abandoned by Charlie at a very young age.]]

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with blockbuster movies, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1998's ''Film/GodsAndMonsters'', would know his capabilites as a dramatic actor. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of Charlie, a suicidal man who is also clearly very intelligent and selfless, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* JerkassWoobie: Ellie. She may be unpleasant, but she was {{spoiler:abandoned by Charlie at a very young age.}}

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with blockbuster movies, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1998's ''Film/GodsAndMonsters'', would know his capabilites as a dramatic actor. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of a talented but morbidly obese man, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* AcceptableReligiousTargets: The character of Thomas provides a vehicle for [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructing the homophobia]] frequently shown by members of Christian faiths. [[https://www.vox.com/23351293/whale-movie-review-fraser-aronofsky It's not a coincidence that the story is set in the town of Moscow, Idaho, which has significant populations of Mormons and Christian Reconstructionists.]] Thomas could easily be taken for a Mormon missionary in his suit and his persistance in knocking on Charlie's door every day. [[spoiler: Thomas convinces himself that he's trying to save Charlie's soul. He's left speechless when Charlie gives him TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. It becomes clear that the New Life church ruined both Charlie's life and his now departed partner's life, Alan.]]

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with blockbuster movies, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1998's ''Film/GodsAndMonsters'', would know that his capabilites as a dramatic actor. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of a talented but morbidly obese man, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with blockbuster movies, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1998's ''Film/GodsandMonsters'', would know that his capabilites as a dramatic actor. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of a talented but morbidly obese man, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with blockbuster movies, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1998's ''Film/Gods and Monsters'', would know that his capabilites as a dramatic actor. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of a talented but morbidly obese man, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with blockbuster movies, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1998's ''Gods and Monsters'', would know that his capabilites as a dramatic actor. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of a talented but morbidly obese man, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with blockbuster movies, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1998's ''GodsandMonsters'', would know that his capabilites as a dramatic actor. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of a talented but morbidly obese man, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with blockbuster movies, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1998's ''Film/GodsandMonsters'', would know that his capabilites as a dramatic actor. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of a talented but morbidly obese man, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with blockbuster movies, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1998's ''Film/Gods and Monsters'', would know that his capabilites as a dramatic actor. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of a talented but morbidly obese man, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with blockbuster movies, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1998's ''Film/GodsandMonsters'', would know that his capabilites as a dramatic actor. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of a talented but morbidly obese man, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with blockbuster movies, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1998's ''GodsandMonsters'', would know that his capabilites as a dramatic actor. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of a talented but morbidly obese man, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with several movies that wouldn't exactly be considered Oscar material, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1997's Still Breathing, would know that he is capable of good performances. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of a talented but morbidly obese man, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* AcceptableReligiousTargets: The character of Thomas provides a vehicle for [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructing the homophobia]] frequently shown by members of Christian faiths. [[https://www.vox.com/23351293/whale-movie-review-fraser-aronofsky It's not a coincidence that the story is set in the town of Moscow, Idaho, which has significant populations of Mormons and Christian Reconstructionists.]] Thomas could easily be taken for a Mormon missionary in his suit and his persistance in knocking on Charlie's door every day. [[spoiler: Thomas convinces himself that he's trying to save Charlie's soul. He's left speechless when Charlie gives him TheReasonYouSuckSpeech It becomes clear that the New Life church ruined both Charlie's life and his now departed partner's life, Alan.]]

* HeReallyCanAct: Many movie viewers will often associate Creator/BrendanFraser with several movies that wouldn't exactly be considered Oscar material, such as ''Film/TheMummy'' franchise. But fans familiar with the full extent of his work, such as 1997's Still Breathing, would know that he is capable of good performances. His tour-de-force performance in this film, believably capturing the emotional and physical and life struggles of a talented but morbidly obese man, is a feat that probably few professional actors can hope to match.

* JustHereForGodzilla: Many viewers just tuned in to see the return of Creator/BrendanFraser to the big screen as a leading role.