Gigantic?

Matt Aselton's debut falls short of indie gold

By Molly Lynch
Published: April 28th, 2009 | 4:24pm

As with most independent romantic dramedies, the one thing that can make a film in the indie genre stand on its own is a good dose of relatable awkwardness between its characters. Take the 2004 independent classic, Garden State, where the two main characters bond and form a romantic relationship over their laughably dysfunctional families. Gigantic, starring the always lovely She & Him front woman and actress Zooey Deschanel and Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood), is a film that fulfills this request, but unfortunately leaves viewers with a lot more questions at the end of the movie than at the beginning.

28-year-old Brian Weathersby [Dano] is a single and struggling mattress salesman who has one goal in life: to adopt a Chinese baby. He meets the adorably loopy Harriet “Happy” Lolly [Deschanel], after her portly and loud-mouthed father, Al [John Goodman] comes into his store to purchase a $14,000 mattress. A playful and complicated romantic relationship ensues between Brian and Happy, but friction occurs when Brian tells Happy he is getting his Chinese baby – leaving Happy unsure of how to react, questioning all of her past tumultuous relationships, most significantly one with her estranged mother.

Put simply, the plot and storyline in Gigantic are a colossal flub, making it feel like two different films are unfolding. The cute scenes and emotional friction are abruptly broken up with repeated (and unexplained) scenes of Brian being attacked by a homeless man. An endearing, yet wise Ed Asner stars as Brian’s father, who, in one scene, tells the adoption agency that his son has wanted a baby from China since age 8 – again, without any sort of explanation, leaving the thought a bit creepy.

Still, the acting chops of Deschanel, Dano, and Goodman keep the 98 minutes bearable, and slightly enjoyable at times. The chemistry between Deschanel and Dano radiates flawlessly onscreen, peppered with just the right amount of quirky dialogue and heartwarming indie romantic comedy-esque moments. Goodman is the comic relief throughout, though his dialogue vacillates between being heartily funny and completely disgusting. With a remarkably talented cast, it’s a shame that Gigantic failed to live up to what could have been indie gold for first-time director Matt Aselton.