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There was a time (not too long ago, in fact) when indie comedies offered a refreshingly quirky change of pace from the same old major release. They were smart and funny and thought-provoking, and they left viewers feeling both entertained and enlightened. But then indie comedies became hip—and now even indie comedies like Gigantic are starting to lose their appeal.
Ever since he was a boy, Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano) has had just one goal in life: to adopt a baby from China. But as it turns out, no one really wants to hand a baby over to a 28-year-old single guy who works as a mattress salesman—so he’s been caught up in all kinds of red tape, making weekly calls to the adoption agency to see if he’s finally made it to the top of their list.
Then, one day, Brian meets Happy (Zooey Deschanel), and his whole life changes. She’s flighty and eccentric and impulsive, and her dad (John Goodman) is obnoxious—but Brian finds himself falling for her anyway, in spite of their obvious differences. The whole relationship thing is pretty new to both of them, though, so when they face their first big challenge, it seems like it would be a whole lot easier to walk away than to work it out.
Gigantic is an odd little indie romantic comedy with more than its share of random quirks. It’s overflowing with bizarre characters—from wishy-washy Brian (who once threw a tantrum because he didn’t get a Chinese baby for his eighth birthday) to Happy’s dad (who has a strange obsession with back pain). Some of those quirky characters—like Brian’s dim-witted coworker—are amusing, while others are just a bit too odd to be believable.
At the same time, the story often feels like a haphazard collection of strange little anecdotes—many of which don’t really go anywhere. The main storyline isn’t especially strong, so it’s supplemented with strange scenes that don’t seem to have much of a point. For instance, Brian often visits an old college friend in his lab, where he studies depression in rats—but, besides encouraging Brian to pursue a relationship with Happy, he doesn’t really have anything to do with the story. The same goes for Brian’s mushroom-hunting excursion with his dad and brothers—or a scene in which Brian’s brother discusses marriage with his colleagues while getting an erotic massage. I’m guessing that first-time writer/director Matt Aselton was just trying to be edgy in that cool-indie-film kind of way—but it all seems rather pointless.
Still, some of the random scenes are surprisingly funny—and some of those quirky characters are fun to watch. And that makes Gigantic a strangely entertaining film. Unfortunately, though, when the credits roll, there are too many loose ends and unanswered questions.
So if it’s quirk you’re looking for, Gigantic has plenty. But if you’re looking for a quirky comedy with a satisfying story, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
