Gigantic

There’s little doubt that the almost egregious atmosphere of quirkiness that’s been hard-wired into Gigantic initially proves disastrous, as director and co-writer Matt Aselton places the emphasis on oddball elements that effectively prevent one from connecting with the material. It’s hard to deny, however, that the movie does improve considerably as it progresses, with the personable performances and sporadic inclusion of authentic moments ultimately transforming Gigantic into a slight yet entertaining piece of work. Paul Dano stars as Brian Weathersby, a mattress salesman whose efforts at adopting a Chinese baby are temporarily sidetracked by his tentative relationship with Zooey Deschanel’s loopy Harriet (how loopy? When asked what she’s reading in a magazine, she replies, “mostly just ads”). The proliferation of off-kilter elements within Gigantic‘s opening stretch (eg there’s a crazy homeless guy hunting Brian, Brian consumes hallucinogenic mushrooms with his 80-year-old father in a cabin in the woods, etc) does lead one to initially assume that the film is going to be just another irritatingly precious indie comedy, yet even during its intolerable stretches the movie does benefit from the undeniable chemistry between Dano and Deschanel’s respective characters (and as is usually the case, Deschanel’s presence alone tends to lift the movie out of its doldrums). Provided one is able to power through the almost unwatchable first act, Gigantic, buoyed by Brian and Harriet’s increasingly compelling coupling, inevitably grows on the viewer to an admittedly unexpected extent.

**1/2 out of ****