SINGAPORE: Israeli comedy "A Matter of Size" centres on obese unemployed chef, Herzl, who chef who gets kicked out of weight-loss class because he lives to eat. But Herzl's life takes a sudden turn for the better when he starts working at a Japanese restaurant as a dish washer.

His employer Kitano just happens to be an ex sumo wrestler trainer. Immediately inspired to take up the sport, Herzl persuades his other rotund friends to join him.

But how is he going to be a sumo wrestler of international calibre when his only hope, his boss, fobs him off, his mother is ashamed of his dreams and his new girlfriend disapproves of everything sumo? It's up to our loveable fat friend to figure things out.

With the exception of “The Godfather's” Don Corleone, overweight or fat characters in movies are mostly portrayed as the fumbling clumsy sidekick, good for a couple of laughs. You see, we're led to believe that movie heroes should be slim, fit and gorgeous.

But in “A Matter of Size”, you can't take your eyes of Herzl and gang not because they literally eat up the screen, but because these are likeable real people, who like us, battle with life's daily challenges that can get the better of us sometimes. And I'm not talking about problems with shedding those extra kilos but also problems like dealing with cheating spouses, sexuality, overbearing parents, and sacrificing heaps to take up a difficult new skill.

For those of you who devoured films like “The Full Monty” or “Cool Runnings”, then take a big bite out of “A Matter of Size”. It's yummy.

When it comes to a film being enjoyable and funny, yet poignant and meaningful, “A Matter of Size” tips the scales.

- CNA/il