“If
you’re looking for something
different in comedy with a bit of
a wacky story and enough originality
to keep you watching, here it is: Gigantic is a highly amusing film
with a terrific cast playing characters
with some very odd flaws...” BEGINNING WITH A VERY INTERESTING ANALOGY of the life of humans and
rats (no rats were harmed during the making of this film!), Gigantic
is about 28-year-old Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano: There Will Be Blood, Little
Miss Sunshine) who works in a Swedish bed store.
A late child of parents Kirby (Ed Asner) and Barbara (Jane Alexander) and with
two successful older brothers, John (Ian Roberts) and James (Robert Stanton),
Brian is working in a dead-end job as a salesman in an upmarket bed store.
Frustrated with his life and his hitherto thwarted ambition to adopt a Chinese
baby, Brian finds that success and happiness always seem to elude him. Until,
that is, wealthy, loud and vulgar Albert "Al" Lolly (the always-watchable John
Goodman) walks into the store to buy a bed, accompanied by his assistant Gary
(the wonderful Sean Dugan) who is the butt of Al's jokes.
Having been attacked with an iron bar by a homeless man (Zak Galifianakis) on
his way to work and having seen his friend Kevin (Daniel Stewart) sell five
beds, things can only get better for Brian. And, luckily for him, Al buys the
most expensive bed despite remarking: "A salesman with a shiner — like,
I'm going to believe him!"
When Al's lovely but ditzy daughter Harriet "Happy" Lolly (Zooey Deschanel:
Yes Man, The Happening) comes in to pay and falls asleep on the bed,
she wakes up after a bizarre dream and overhears Brian discussing his adoption
prospects during a telephone conversation with Kenyatta Falls (Frank Harts),
who is representing the adoption agency.
Gigantic is a sweet and very funny romance but, alas, the path of true
love never runs smoothly. Would you really want the crass Al as a father-in-law?
And when Happy tracks down her absent mother Marguerite (Mary Pacekeller), at
first she doesn't seem to know where she is or even recognise her daughter's
voice.
While having dinner with Happy, Al and a lady with the unlikely name of Ducky
Saltinstall (Ilana Levine), Brian is aghast to find that Al continually makes
indiscreet remarks about his daughter's relationships — but Happy isn't
about to take it lying down and hones in on her father's relationship with Ducky.
Brian's family support his quest and his brother tries to persuade him to get
a Chinese baby on the black market. At a restaurant with his family, bad luck
strikes again when somebody shoots Brian in the leg. Will the poor man ever
learn? But at least the lobsters are able to make a run for it!
Employing both subtle and blatant comedy, the great John Goodman works well
with the cute and sassy Zooey Deschanel and laid-back charmer Paul Dano to 'gigantic'
success. But will Brian ever achieve his dream of adopting a Chinese baby? Will
he and Happy ever make it to the altar and will Al ever clean up his act?
This is a charmingly bizarre love story about the anxieties of falling in love
with someone you never thought you'd fall in love with and the baggage that
comes from a crazy family.
Gigantic also features: Clarke Peters as Roger; Brian Avers as Larry;
Leven Rambin as Missy; Susan Misner as Melanie Lolly; Matt Walton as Connor;
Pierre Epstein as Jacques; and Sharon Wilkins as Receptionist Linda. Music is
by Roddy Bottum; Director of Photography is Peter Donahue; Excutive Producers
are Paul Dano, Scott Ferguson, Jerry Soloman, Jeff Preiss and John Wells; Produced
by Mindy Goldberg, Christine Vachon; Written by: Adam Nagata and Matt Aselton;
Directed by Matt Aselton.
• Critically acclaimed on its theatrical release
and a huge hit at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival, Matt Aselton's funny and surreal
feature film debut, Gigantic will be available on DVD on 28 September
(2009), courtesy of Indi VISION*. RRP: £14.99 | Running Time: 97 Minutes.
"Employing both subtle and blatant comedy, the wonderful John Goodman works
well with the cute and sassy Zooey Deschanel and laid-back charmer Paul Dano
to 'gigantic' success" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
"Funny and affecting" — Time Out
"A little film with a big heart" — Heat
*Indi VISION is the home of specialist and alternative genres within
Universal Pictures (UK), primarily focusing on arthouse and world cinema, cult
horror, erotic, contemporary, drama, off-beat comedy and music and biography.
Check out universalpictures.co.uk/indiVISION.
“If
you’re looking for something