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Gigantic

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Gigantic (2008)

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Reviews Counted:72

Fresh:27

Rotten:45

Average Rating:4.7/10

Consensus: This overly quirky, incessantly whimsical indie is too self-conscious for its own good.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for language, some sexual content and violence.

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:19-06-2009

Synopsis: GIGANTIC’s Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano) isn’t your average 28-year-old man. He sleepily works as a mattress salesman while he tries to fulfill his lifelong dream of adopting a Chinese baby. But... GIGANTIC’s Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano) isn’t your average 28-year-old man. He sleepily works as a mattress salesman while he tries to fulfill his lifelong dream of adopting a Chinese baby. But Brian’s somnambulist state is interrupted by the arrival of Harriet Lolly (Zooey Deschanel), who prefers going by the name "Happy." She stops by the mattress store after her rich, bullying father (John Goodman) buys the most expensive bed on the salesroom floor, and she immediately draws Brian into her world. A romance with Happy beckons, but Brian is close to achieving his goal. Now if he could only avoid the violent attacks of the crazy homeless man who is stalking him.... Like many small black comedies, GIGANTIC is driven by its characters, an indie-rock soundtrack, and some seemingly random elements that set it apart from its studio counterparts. But GIGANTIC’s tiny status doesn’t mean that it is lacking in the casting department. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and THERE WILL BE BLOOD have demonstrated Dano’s range, and he plays a fully formed character here. Deschanel (YES MAN) again plays a vibrant, quirky love interest that will be familiar to viewers of indie films like GARDEN STATE and her own work in WEEDS and FLAKES. But the prize should really go to Goodman, who adds authenticity to his character’s strangeness, remaining likable even as he threatens the lives of Brian’s parents. [More]

Starring: Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman, Ed Asner

Starring: Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman, Ed Asner, Jane Alexander, Zach Galifianakis

Director: Matt Aselton

Director: Matt Aselton
Screenwriter: Adam Nagata, Matt Aselton
Producer: Mindy Goldberg, Christine Vachon
Studio: First Independent Pictures

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Reviews for Gigantic

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21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

This is some of the worst writing of the year, from the meaningless title down. Oh yeah, and a tramp keeps showing up to beat up Dano throughout. Not quite sure why, but I applaud the effort.

Full Review Source: News of the World | comment 1 Comment
06/19/09
Robbie Collin
Robbie Collin
News of the World

Precious and pretentious, and oddly absorbing because of it.

Full Review Source: Scotsman | comment 1 Comment
06/19/09
Alistair Harkness
Alistair Harkness
Scotsman

Quirky is certainly the word for this offbeat comedy.

Full Review Source: Sunday Mail [UK] | comment 1 Comment
06/19/09
Sunday Mail [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

More like 'bloated.'

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
07/24/09
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

...the story of how two emotionally damaged but terribly affected andprivileged underachievers meet, fall in love and presumably somehow form a family.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment 1 Comment
06/12/09
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Gigantic has an idiotic screenplay in which nothing fits together with anything else and in which the two-dimensional characters get knocked down to one dimension as the movie progresses.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment 1 Comment
05/22/09
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

The characters are richly layered and well acted. John Goodman is a standout as Deschanel's dad, a rich blowhard with a sweet candy center.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment 1 Comment
05/22/09
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Gigantic is the sort of kitchen sink movie many first-time directors make, mistakenly believing that they have to throw every idea they've ever come up with into just one film in case they never get a chance to make another.

Full Review Source: Colorado Springs Gazette | comment 1 Comment
05/21/09
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
Colorado Springs Gazette

Gigantic is the sort of kitchen sink movie many first-time directors make, mistakenly believing that they have to throw every idea they've ever come up with into just one film in case they never get a chance to make another.

Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | comment Comment
05/21/09
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
BrandonFibbs.com

Zooey Deschanel is the most delightful young actress in Hollywood.

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment 1 Comment
05/21/09
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Was there any idea that came to writer-director Matt Aselton while he made "Gigantic" that he didn't use? Seriously, that cutting room floor must have beenSPOTLESS.

Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment 1 Comment
05/15/09
Rob Thomas
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)

Happy would be sad if you didn't want to see her story. And you wouldn't like a Manic Pixie Dream Girl when she's angry.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment 1 Comment
05/09/09
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

Aselton seems to have ingested a hundred forgettable indie comedies, regurgitated them, and applied the random title Gigantic to what came up.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment 1 Comment
05/07/09
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Like committee-created sketches at comedy clubs, where the audience shouts out random, zany ideas, Gigantic is huge on the random. But unlike the comedy club, there is little, if anything, to enjoy.

Full Review Source: Indie Movies Online | comment 1 Comment
04/27/09
Kimberly Gadette
Kimberly Gadette
Indie Movies Online

It's just not all that interesting to watch two pretty young things go through the muddled rituals of the pas de duh when I can, you know, do it just as poorly myself.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment 1 Comment
04/24/09
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

There's nothing really appealing or funny about these people or the predicaments in which they find themselves.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment 1 Comment
04/23/09
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Gigantic plays like a Sundance movie with half the nouns removed; fetchingly cryptic for a while, it's ultimately just obscure.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment 1 Comment
04/23/09
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment 1 Comment
04/23/09
Betsy Sherman
Betsy Sherman
Boston Phoenix

One of those indies that seems to be trying to top the quirkiness quotient of Juno.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment 1 Comment
04/20/09
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

Aselton's reason for making this movie is easy to discern -- he wants to be a filmmaker. But coming up with a reason for watching this movie is more of a challenge.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment 1 Comment
04/17/09
Tom Maurstad
Tom Maurstad
Dallas Morning News
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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