MovieChat Forums > The Whale (2022) Discussion > The pizza delivery guy was awful

The pizza delivery guy was awful

posted a year ago by daredevil1 (182)
4 replies | jump to latest

I was looking at the comments for this on reddit (I know, that was my first mistake) and they all misinterpret this guy the same way. Almost to a person they all think that the delivery guy's disgusted reaction was horror that he'd been 'enabling' Charlie the whole movie. WTF. Do these people have a working brain? He stayed to watch Charlie against his wishes and then makes this repulsed scoffing noise instead of even trying to save face, then runs off. I found him the cruelest and most inhuman character of the whole movie actually. At BEST he gave it no thought and just freaked out from awkwardness. At worst I actually think he was pretending to try to befriend Charlie in their previous interactions just to trick him into seeing him to assuage his curiosity. Who did he think was hiding behind the door, Brad Pitt? He knew what he was doing and it was such a cruelly thoughtless reaction.

My guess on why reddit kept reacting this way is that just want to think anyone ethnic in a movie only has good intentions. As evidenced by how many of these people think he reminded Charlie of his dead boyfriend who was "Asian" according to them. Did they not even pay attention? A) We see pics of him and he was a white guy, the sister even says she was adopted b) The delivery guy is an Indian dude. I know to the average imbecilic Redditor that Chinese = East Indian = all the same, but they hit a new low this time. They also predictably think the Bible boy was the only true evil one, for trying to cure Charlie of his gayness. An idiotic immature kid, sure, but only on reddit would they somehow find the delivery guy heroic and the kid a monster.

[–] jacotodd47 (1886) a year ago

I don't know, to me, the pizza delivery guy made sense. I'd have become curious, too. He's constantly going up there, delivering the pizzas, and the buyer refuses to come outside. Over and over and over again. Anyone would get curious after awhile. Then, yeah, he tricks him not so much to come outside, but just so he could actually see the guy. Then he finally does see him and he's stunned. Who wouldn't be stunned by Charlie's appearance? OP mentions ethnicity. No ethnicity involved from where I sit. It's a human being thing. This mysterious guy keeps buying pizzas, but he will not allow himself to be seen. So the delivery guy decides to trick him into coming outside while he is still there. It's nothing but his own curiosity. I personally wouldn't have bothered, but I believe many human beings would have done just as he did.

[–] stickman38 (3356) a year ago

I might have to re-watch this movie over the weekend. I have to admit, it's kinda interesting. It's like Brokeback Mountain meets The Elephant Man. You just wouldn't expect a movie about a gay whale to be this entertaining. lol...

Although, I don't get the anger people have at the pizza guy. He was just curious. I mean, think about it for a moment, he shows up at the same place everyday or whatever... and the customer never comes to the door to get his pizza, he always waits for the pizza guy to leave. I would be dying to know who's on the other side of that door too. I can't blame the pizza guy for what he did. I wouldn't be surprised if this happens quite often to pizza guys in real life, there are a lot of people that have eating disorders.

That being said, pizza or food in general was Charlie's drug. The film is like watching a movie about a drug addict or alcoholic going on binges. There is no way the pizza guy was to blame for this. Charlie just had serious problems.

I haven't seen any of the reddit posts, do you have a link to some of the comments you're referring to? I might read a few of them, sounds kind of funny.

[–] howgamer (3933) a year ago

I thought he was a very judgmental person. I understand he is curious as to what Charlie looks like, who wouldn't be considering their arrangement, but he had to have known Charlie was obese or a large person. In no way did I feel like the pizza guy felt guilty or some sense of horror that he was enabling Charlie. I felt that his reaction, scoff of disgust and eyeroll, revealed his immaturity, lack of compassion and cruelness.

The build and scene is setup quite well. We get a sense before this that the pizza guy seems like someone who could be a friend or genuinely cares about Charlie. Then, once he gets a look at him, all that disappears in a second because he is utterly disgusted at his appearance. Thus creating the tipping point for Charlie's emotions resulting in a rage filled binge eating session.

[–] [deleted] 6 months ago

I think a pizza delivery guy in the US probably sees about 100 of these people daily.