Herzi, a very likable obese man, living in a small town in Israel, gets mad when he is thrown out of his Dieting Club by its skinny tyrannical leader who calls him a whale cos he is actually putting on weight, and then he gets fired from his job as a Chef at a Salad Bar because of his vast size. Desperate to find work he ends up as a dishwasher in a Japanese restaurant and once there he discovers by chance, Sumo wrestling. This, his new work colleagues tell him, is not just wrestling with vastly overweight guys: it’s an art, and it’s a skilled sport and most importantly, a route to self-esteem. Herzi persuades his chubby chums to join him and together under the tutelage of the Restaurant Owner, a former professional Sumo referee, they train them for a tournament in Japan.
It is the gentlest of movies and unlike other comedies about being fat, this is a story about self-acceptance and treats its five main characters with respect. It’s a tale about a coming out’ of a different kind – overweight people learning to accept themselves. And the fact that it really is OK to be happy too.
