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Gigantic (2008)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 4.6/10
Reviews Counted: 81
Fresh: 30 | Rotten: 51

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

Average Rating: 4.8/10
Critic Reviews: 17
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 12

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

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Average Rating: 2.7/5
User Ratings: 96,364

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Movie Info

There Will Be Blood's Paul Dano stars as Brian, an unhappy mattress salesman whose infatuation with Happy (Zooey Deschanel), one of his attractive customers, temporarily pushes aside his obsession with adopting a Chinese baby in this unconventional romantic comedy from director Matt Aselton. John Goodman, Ed Asner, and Jane Alexander co-star in the Killer Films production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Comedy, Romance

Directed By: Matt Aselton

Written By: Adam Nagata, Matt Aselton

In Theaters: Apr 3, 2009 Wide

On DVD: Aug 11, 2009

First Independent Pictures

Gigantic Trailer & Photos

More Photos (5)

Cast

Paul Dano
Brian Weathersby
Zooey Deschanel
Harriet Lolly
John Goodman
Al Lolly
Edward Asner
Mr. Weathersby
Jane Alexander
Mrs. Weathersby
Ian Roberts
John Weathersby
Robert Stanton
James Weathersby

Critic Reviews for Gigantic

All Critics (82) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (32) | Rotten (51) | DVD (5)

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.

May 22, 2009 Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune

| Comment (1)

Colin Covert

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Top Critic

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

April 23, 2009 Full Review Source: Boston Globe

| Comments (2)

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

Top Critic

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

April 20, 2009 Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor

| Comment (1)

Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

Top Critic

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.

April 17, 2009 Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News

| Comment (1)

Tom Maurstad

Dallas Morning News

Top Critic

First-time feature director Matt Aselton, who co-wrote the darkly funny, well-observed script with Adam Nagata, has crafted a disarming tale that's one of the better independent films in recent memory.

April 16, 2009 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times

| Comment (1)

Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

Top Critic

Anyone can go off and just cynically make a bad movie, but to make a picture as inert, incompetent and emotionally fraudulent as Gigantic takes sincere faith that one is, in fact, making something really, really good.

April 10, 2009 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

| Comments (3)

Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

Occasionally rises above its limitations. The operative word is "occasionally."

August 18, 2011 Full Review Source: East Bay Express

| Comment

Kelly Vance

East Bay Express

Romance and comedy are deftly balanced in an observation of the beautiful but strange

August 15, 2011 Full Review Source: Film Journal International

| Comment

Sarah Sluis

Film Journal International

Credit Dano and Deschanel for generating sufficient chemistry to make the movie worthwhile despite the oft-distracting Kabuki dances dominating the backdrop.

August 9, 2009 Full Review Source: Sly Fox

| Comment

Kam Williams

Sly Fox

Gigantic is best appreciated for its kooky cast chemistry. But the story like the lure of those plump orthopedic mattresses in stock, is essentially a painless snooze.

August 4, 2009 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze

| Comment

Prairie Miller

NewsBlaze

More like 'bloated.'

July 24, 2009 Full Review Source: Film Freak Central

| Comment

Bill Chambers

Film Freak Central

This determinedly nonsensical American indie feels like it was assembled in an off-world quirk factory.

June 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph

| Comment (1)

Daily Telegraph

Not quite this year's hip little indie romantic comedy that could, as it clearly aspires to be, but smart-ish and drily funny while overly littered with twitches and tweaks.

June 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

| Comment (1)

Angie Errigo

Empire Magazine

'Gigantic' is a film that succeeds by wearing the viewer down, as an infuriatingly coy, self-conscious first act gives way to a sweet and affecting climax.

June 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment (1)

Tom Huddlestone

Time Out

The kind of mumbling, lank-haired, achingly self-conscious indie rom-com that gives mumbling, lank-haired, achingly self-conscious indie rom-coms a bad name.

June 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment (1)

Ali Catterall

Film4

It's slyly misogynistic, dramatically inert, and wastes an intriguing boorish cameo from John Goodman.

June 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Times [UK]

| Comment (1)

Kevin Maher

Times [UK]

This film is entirely empty: empty of substance, devoid of plausible characters, and without anything like a satisfying style.

June 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK]

| Comment (1)

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian [UK]

Here the characters drive everything - they're quirky without being annoying, funny without being clownish and odd but realistic. As funny and interesting as it is, however, the film raises more question than it answers.

June 19, 2009 Comment (1)

Limara Salt

Little White Lies

It's very hard not to get sucked in to the charm of this movie. Dano and Deschanel play their parts to perfection, exuding just the right amount of awkwardness and insecurity to bring the story to life.

June 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Digital Spy

| Comment (1)

Lara Martin

Digital Spy

Everything that happens slots neatly into the art house template - wacky leads, wackier supporting players, coy alt-rock soundtrack - but director Matt Aselton doesn't know when to stop.

June 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Sky Movies

| Comment (1)

Tim Evans

Sky Movies

Taking his cue from his leading man's minimalist, self-effacing performance, director and co-writer Matt Aselton has fashioned a wry homage to eccentricity.

June 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Total Film

| Comments (2)

Neil Smith

Total Film

Yet there's an echo of Hal Ashby, or even Hal Hartley, in the subversion of easy truisms about relationships, and its primary note - mild anxiety - may make it a cult favourite.

June 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Uncut Magazine [UK]

| Comment (1)

Chris Roberts

Uncut Magazine [UK]

By the end, I was thoroughly alienated by the movie's twee, self-satisfied empty-headedness and rooting for the homeless man to do his worst.

June 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK]

| Comment (1)

Christopher Tookey

Daily Mail [UK]

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Audience Reviews for Gigantic

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When it comes to family and relationships, there are no small surprises Good movie. This movie was really mellow and slow but it was kinda good. Paul Dano is evolving as a very good actor and I can't help but to like Zooey's weird funny acting roles including this one. Good story and easy to follow.Do we ever get what

August 22, 2009

Manu Gino

Super Reviewer

A movie that seems to want to make a political or humanistic statement but over-quirks itself instead. Brian is quirkily shy; Happy is quirkily fucked-up (she even says so herself, and that always pisses me off in movies). Obviously, they should have sex. I dig the actors, and they're quite darling and sympathetic

June 5, 2011

Alice Shen

Super Reviewer

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