https://acc.tv/review/fat-boy-chronicles/
“We are all tested, but how you respond will define your life.” – The Fat Boy Chronicles
If you’ve ever been a victim of bullying or watched someone suffering from it, The Fat Boy Chronicles is a movie for you.
Most people have experienced bullying at some point of their lives and it is usually bred from one person’s hurt being transferred onto someone else. What is the best way of dealing with it and how can resilience be born through painful situations?
In seeking to address the issues of high school bullying and childhood obesity, authors Diane Lang and Michael Buchanan have used their experiences as teachers (now retired) to co-author the novel The Fat Boy Chronicles. Inspired by true events, their novel, which won the National Parenting Publication’s Gold award and the Mom’s Choice Award of Excellence, is used in schools around America and has now been brought to the screen in an insightful and thought-provoking film that journeys through the first person experience of overweight Jimmy Winterpock.
Jimmy is a funny, caring and kind person but feels that people only see him as the fat kid. Struggling with obesity, Jimmy is ridiculed, humiliated and made fun of by his grade nine peers, sister and even a teacher, to the point where he begins to believe what others say about him.
If not for some kind words and the encouragement of a few key people in his life who look beyond the surface and see the awesome kid within, Jimmy could well have continued to believe the lies he was told, but instead he finds a better way to deal with his problems.
With his eye on a girl and a goal to lose a certain amount of weight within his allocated time-frame, Jimmy is on a journey of overcoming some of the biggest obstacles of his life.
As the movie focuses on Jimmy’s journey with obesity, it also explores many other teenage issues touching on depression, suicide, self-harm and academic failures. As more information is revealed, Jimmy is awakened to a bigger world of problems dealt with by his friends and finds that his own problems begin to fade in comparison.
He realises that his painful experiences put him in the perfect position to help understand what others are going through and, although not everything can be fixed, Jimmy finds he is not alone in his struggles. Without revealing too much, Jimmy comes to a turning point where his change of perspective begins to turn his world around and in turn, has positive effects on those around him.
Will he get the girl? You’ll just have to see it to find out.
Great for a family movie night, youth group, camp or school setting, The Fat Boy Chronicles is set to inspire, encourage and give hope in a situation where hope may be hard to find.
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