| Director | Tom Holland |
|---|---|
| Budget | $8 million |
| Box office | $15.3 million |
Billy Halleck is an obese upper class lawyer who lives with his wife Heidi and their daughter Linda in Connecticut. He recently defended Mafia boss Richie "The Hammer" Ginelli in court and is now celebrating his acquittal on a murder charge. Heidi, trying to persuade him to forget about his obsession with food, tries to give Billy oral sex as he is driving. Distracted, Billy accidentally runs over an elderly Romani woman named Suzanne Lempke, killing her. He is tried and acquitted of manslaughter by his friend Judge Cary Rossington after getting police chief Duncan Hopley to commit perjury.
Outraged by the injustice, Suzanne's father, Tadzu Lempke, places a curse on Billy on the steps of the courthouse by touching his face and uttering "thinner". Soon afterward, Billy begins to lose weight rapidly despite not exercising or sticking to his diet. Heidi, fearing the weight loss may be due to cancer, calls Dr. Mike Houston, with whom Billy begins to suspect his wife is having an affair. Billy eats even more fervently so he does not starve. Billy learns that Rossington and Hopley have also been cursed; Rossington is now a hideous lizard-like being, while Hopley develops purulent ulcers on his face and hands. Both men ultimately die by suicide. Billy tracks down the Romani camp and tries to reason with Tadzu; Tadzu refuses to help and banishes him from the camp. Gina, Tadzu's granddaughter, uses her slingshot to shoot a large ball bearing which goes through Billy's hand, infuriating him into vowing revenge against the Romani.
Billy enlists Ginelli to attack the Romani camp and persuade Tadzu to lift the curse. Ginelli poisons the Romani's dogs before kidnapping Gina's husband and using him as a decoy, thus tricking the Romani into killing him. Ginelli impersonates an FBI agent and kidnaps and threatens Gina. To spare his family from Ginelli's onslaught, Tadzu finally agrees to meet with Billy. Chanting a spell, Tadzu mixes Billy's blood into a strawberry pie. He states that if someone else eats the pie, the curse will kill them quickly and Billy will be spared. He urges Billy to eat the pie himself and die with dignity, but Billy refuses. Billy arrives home and gives Heidi the pie, which she eats. The next morning, Billy finds her desiccated corpse next to him. He is gleeful to be free of the curse and of what he believes is his disloyal wife. However, when he goes downstairs, he discovers that his daughter has eaten some of the pie for breakfast. Wracked with guilt, he prepares to eat the rest, only to be interrupted by Mike at the door. Mike grows uncomfortable and struggles to explain his unannounced presence, seemingly confirming Billy's suspicions of an affair. Billy invites Mike in for some pie and closes the door with a smile.