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Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman, Edward Asner, Jane Alexander ... see more see more... , Ian Roberts , Robert Stanton

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 wit... read more read more...h 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

Flixster Users

33% liked it

96,364 ratings

Critics

37% liked it

81 critics

R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Matt Aselton

Release Date: April 3, 2009

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DVD Release Date: August 11, 2009

Stats: 1,605 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,605)

  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    January 18, 2012
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    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 sto... read morery and easy to follow.

    Do we ever get what we want? Brian sells mattresses in a warehouse store. His father and older brothers have material success; he wants a child. He's applied to adopt a baby from China. A man who appears homeless seems to be stalking Brian with violent intent. He meets Happy, the daughter of a rich, quirky customer. She doesn't stick to anything, but she and Brian hit it off, except for her vomiting when she learns about his adoption idea. He wants her to meet his family, and there's a call about the adoption. What will Happy do?
  • aliceinpunderland
    June 5, 2011
    aliceinpunderland
    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... read more they're quite darling and sympathetic in this movie, but what exactly is this movie about? Fatherhood? Adoption? Government bureaucracy? Unconventional upbringings?

    There's much talk on IMDb about the "controversial" hobo attacker played by Zach Galifianakis (to great heebie jeebie extent, might I add), saying he's supposed to be a manifestation of Brian's fear of growing up, committing to a child perhaps, but as with the supernatural inconsistencies in Black Swan, other people seeing Brian's physical cuts and bruises = NO SENSE! Brian actually removing a bullet from his leg, implying that someone actually shot him = NO SENSE! If it's all in his head, he's crazy and shouldn't be adopting a child. If it's visible to other people because he's self-inflicting these wounds, he's crazy and shouldn't be adopting a child. Furthermore, the scary music that underscores all the attacks also tip this movie from the sweet indie drama genre into the thriller mind-fuck genre, yet there is no Shyamalan twist in the end at all.
  • romy861
    June 27, 2010
    romy861
    Interesting but flawed. It's a little too slow and doesn't make sense in some places, (for example, we never find out who the guy is who is following Brian around, trying to attack him). Harriet is a little too offbeat to be sympathetic, and WTF with the Chinese baby thing.
    I... read more like quirky little stories, generally, and this is definitely one of them, but I have seen this type of thing done much better. The good cast save it somewhat.
  • Redlats
    June 17, 2010
    Redlats
    A plain movie about a normal guy who wants to adopt a Chinese baby. Then he meets a quirky girl. Most of the professional movie raters do not rate it too highly, but it is an interesting study of a young couple and their strange parents.
  • LWOODS04
    February 25, 2010
    LWOODS04
    Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, Brian Avers, John Goodman, Edward Asner, Jane Alexander, Zach Galifianakis, Frank Harts, Clarke Peters, Aryn Cole

    DIRECTED BY: Matt Aselton

    Brian, a mattress store worker who wants to adopt a Chinese baby. Brian meets Happy, a hot, potty-mouthed... read more girl who he falls head over heels for. Together, they negotiate their increasing intimacy, and the appearances of their many eccentric relatives, as Brian awaits the call from the adoption agency.

    I absolutely love indie films they are my favorite. You never know what kind of offbeat insane kind of story you will get. This is another offbeat comedy starring some of my favorite actors, Paul Dano and Zooey Deschanel from first time director Matt Aselton. I think he did a good job his first time around. The movie is cute and funny. But there are also some scenes that just don't make any sense. Mainly Zach Galifianakis character. He does some odd things in the film and the reasons really don't get explained. But I kinda think that's the point. Some things in life just don't make sense. Maybe that is what his character represented maybe not. Anyways, it is a really odd film that I loved. Hope others like it too.
  • ythelastman89
    January 17, 2010
    ythelastman89
    It's a film almost based entirely on metaphors, which can be both thought provoking and frustrating. I admire the movie for venturing into an untapped part of film. The performances are great from most, even though I felt that Paul Dano didn't really bring anything interesting to... read more his particular role. I felt like the movie tried to go somewhere, but never did because it was too focused on being original and bizarre.
  • djdemersseman
    January 11, 2010
    djdemersseman
    Mmm, Zooey Deschanel. That's all I really need to say about this one. But don't watch this one till you've run out of other Zooey movies to watch.
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    October 13, 2009
    LoughnerWasLucid
    wow this movie is quirky!! Paul dano plays a guy who occasionally gets attacked by homeless comedians and whose lifelong dream is to adopt a chinese baby! (CRAZY!!! LOL) Zooey Deschanel is a woman who falls asleep on matresses even when shes not tired, in a store owned by a sad c... read moreomplete stranger who likes to work with the lights off! (HAHA ZANY!) Zooey asks Paul 5 minutes after they meet, while sharing a cocktail, if he wants to have sex. (SUPER-QUIRKY!!) they totally do it and thats when he gets hooked on Happy! oh didnt i mention her name was Happy? silly right?first she was Summer in 500 days of summer, now shes Happy in Gigantic. THESE CRAZY METAPHORS ARE KILLIN ME!! lol! i predict her next flick will be about a girl named Shitty (clever right) who falls in love with a sex-offender. ill call it FEELING SHITTY!!! get it?
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    September 3, 2009
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "When it comes to family and relationships, there are no small surprises"

    Mattress salesman Brian Weathersby (Dano) finds his plan to adopt a Chinese baby augmented by the arrival of a young woman, Happy (Deschanel), who comes into his workplaces, falls asleep on one of t... read morehe beds, and starts to affect his life upon waking up.

    REVIEW

    Gigantic is the story of mattress salesman Brian (Paul Dano). One day, a man named Al (John Goodman) comes into his store looking for a bed. The beds are very expensive, so Al sends his daughter, Harriet, A.K.A. Happy (Zooey Deschanel) to inspect the bed and the price. Brian and Happy fall in love. That's the plot of the indie Gigantic. Dano and Deschanel are both fantastic here, and the film has an interesting and fun spark to it. In fact, the whole cast is good here, except, dare I say, the very funny Zach Galifianakis in a wordless role as a homeless man who keeps mugging Brian. Besides Galifianakis, the other big complaint I have with the film is the film features a subplot involving Brian adopting a Chinese baby. This plot feels way too scripted. Gigantic isn't an amazing work of art, or even a great film, but I had a good time with it. It's a film with plenty of flaws to spare, but that said, it's enjoyable enough. I'm recommending this film, but with reservations. This is a good indie without the great indie feel, but a certainly good indie feel. This is one that is worth checking out to the indie film fan in all of us.
  • lewiskendell
    August 30, 2009
    lewiskendell
    First, Zooey Deschanel has an outstanding pair of legs. Out-standing. Second, whenever Paul Dano is in a movie, I can't help but expect that movie to be a version of There Will be Blood, set in some new time period. Third, one of the characters in Gigantic seemed to have no othe... read morer purpose in the movie other than to make me miss Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles terribly. Now, on with my review.

    This is a movie that will leave you with questions. When a movie is good enough that you enjoy thinking about it further, then some lingering questions can be welcome. Gigantic doesn't quite pull that off. The things that it leaves unexplained are....well, maybe they had best be seen. You'll know exactly what I'm talking about if you choose to watch it. And you will be either pissed off, intrigued, or a bit bemused by them. I think I fit into the latter category.

    This definitely isn't a comedy. Maybe it's best described as an odd family drama. The cast is very good, I just don't know if the surrounding framework of the movie was as well thought out as it could have been. If you're at all intrested in the trailer or description of Gigantic, see it. It's not a bad movie. But, not everyone will be satisfied after it's over. I at least give it points for offering up several moments that I didn't expect. Because of that fact and Zooey, I came away from the film with a small amount of approval, despite the loose ends and vagueries.

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Critic Reviews

Colin Covert
May 22, 2009
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

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

Ty Burr
April 23, 2009
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

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

Peter Rainer
April 20, 2009
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

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

Tom Maurstad
April 17, 2009
Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News

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

Gary Goldstein
April 16, 2009
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

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. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
April 10, 2009
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

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 rea... Full Review

Rafer Guzman
April 10, 2009
Rafer Guzman, Newsday

Eventually Gigantic decides to become a heartwarmer, and why not? Any ending -- including nuclear devastation or a 1940s musical number -- would have worked, too. Full Review

Roger Ebert
April 9, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

On the basis of Gigantic, Matt Aselton can make a fine and original film. This isn't quite it, but it has moments so good, all you wish for is a second draft. Full Review

Ben Lyons
April 6, 2009
Ben Lyons, At the Movies

The script is sharp, well written, and with some strong performances, especially John Goodman. Full Review

Ben Mankiewicz
April 6, 2009
Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies

I felt like I was being hit over the head with a quirky club. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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