Heavy (film) - Plot

Plot

The film begins at "Pete and Dolly's", a small roadside diner/tavern in sleepy upstate New York, where thirty-something-year-old Victor (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is a cook employed by his mother, Dolly (Shelley Winters), the owner of the restaurant. Dolly spends most of her time sitting in a chair in the back of the kitchen, reminiscing of her late husband and prodding promiscuous waitress Delores (Deborah Harry), a lonely woman who has worked at the restaurant for fifteen years, and also had a meaningless affair with Dolly's husband.

The old routine and rhythm of the restaurant is changed when Dolly hires a new waitress, Callie (Liv Tyler). She is sweet, soft-spoken, and enchantingly beautiful. A college drop out, she is an ethereal creature that catches the eye of the painfully shy, overweight Victor. Callie's presence complicates the lives of the rest of the employees, and even some of the local regulars, such as Leo (Joe Grifasi), an alcoholic friend of Delores and long-time customer of Dolly.

Throughout the film, Victor, who is so shy he can hardly communicate with the goodhearted Callie, develops a growing crush on her, despite her already having a boyfriend of her own age whom she lives with. Callie suggests Victor attend the "fancy" cooking school across the river, a thought which is considered by Victor but dismissed by his mother and Delores. Victor subtly vies for Callie's attention, but her feelings for him are of a platonic nature. Nonetheless, she finds companionship in him.

Meanwhile, Dolly depends on Victor greatly, as he still lives at home with her, doing all the household work and shopping. Eventually Dolly's health begins to decline, and she dies after being taken to the hospital after suffering a heart attack. Victor fails to tell anyone at the restaurant of his mother's death, in the fear that it would "change things". Eventually, the news comes out, and Callie is prompted to quit her job at the restaurant.

Victor's issues of self-esteem, stemming from his weight and the revelation of his mother's death come to surface one night at the restaurant, when Callie arrives after closing to collect her check and say goodbye to the disheveled Victor. He asks for her to come and visit occasionally, and she agrees- she plans on going back home and returning to college. The film ends with an slightly more confident Victor at the local grocery mart, chatting with a female cashier who appeared throughout the film.