TIFF ’08 Review – “Gigantic”

Film: Gigantic

Director: Matt Aselton

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

Runtime: 99 Minutes

Reviewed By: Jenny Sung (Toronto Correspondent – Canada)

Trying to manage my way through the rain-soaked and overcrowded street in front of the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto, I notice the many different lines forming for the premiere of Matt Aselton’s “Gigantic”.  Asking one patient moviegoer, “What lineup is this for?”  He responds, “This is the I-Want-To-See-Zooey-Deschanel line.”  I move on – it would be nice to see Zooey, but I’m on a mission to get into the theatre and dry off.  While I’m being ushered in with the rest of the press, I think to myself whether the film I’m about to see will merely be an oft-seen oft-copied love story between ditzy girl and nerdy boy catering to the two leads’ fans.

As I watch the film, I’m happy to have my presumptions disproved.  “Gigantic” is a lovely, endearing film that portraits two young lovers and their encounters with their families, friends and ultimately, a clashing of life goals.  Dano is Brian Weathersby, a soft-spoken mattress salesman who one day sells a $14,000 mattress to a stocky and wealthy businessman (Goodman) who sends his daughter Harriet (Deschanel) to Brian’s store to arrange the shipping details.  Harriet, nicknamed “Happy”, falls asleep on the bed she’s been sent to pick up, waking up hours later to find that Brian has covered her in a blanket.  She immediately takes a liking to him, and he feels strangely attracted to her in a way he’s never felt before.  She’s feisty, unabashed, yet kind and naïve.  They quickly fall hard and fast for each other, but then as Brian’s childhood dream of adopting a baby from China comes to fruition, Happy shies away, scared off by the prospect of responsibility.

The simple story spun by the film is deceptively light, perhaps due to Deschanel’s airhead-y character and the warm comedy brought on by Goodman and Ed Asner (who plays Brian’s 80 year old father).  But writer/director Matt Aselton incorporates an enigmatic homeless stalker into the mix, who doubles as dramatic exposition as well as a metaphor for Brian’s battle with his unconscious.  This brings Brian to act quite uncharacteristically and leaves the film feeling a little off-kilter with the juxtaposition of his violent actions and the addition of an innocent child into his life.  However, to see Brian in such scenes does not seem out of place, just, shocking.

Dano’s investment in the film shows in his performance – he’s both believable and easy to sympathize with as Brian.  He also proves he is not just another notch in the film industry’s bed post of Young Hollywood, with a credit as executive producer in addition to his past roles in critically acclaimed films.  Deschanel also brings a lovable performance, but we have seen her play this character before.  Possibly most impressive is Ed Asner, whose comedic timing is excellent and simply a joy to watch onscreen.

Aselton’s performance as first-time feature film director is impressive as well.  Having directed commercials before “Gigantic”, a feature film may seem like a bit of a stretch, but it is executed nearly flawlessly and projects a future for himself as a successful director for the indie-film crowd.  He brings out great performances from his cast and being the writer of the screenplay, I can only hope for more such relatable and quirky scripts from him in the future.

To find out what’s so “gigantic” about this film, don’t believe the hype – go watch the movie yourself!  You’ll be a better person for it.