Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano of Little Miss Sunshine and There Will Be Blood) has a pretty ordinary life. He's single and has a decent job at a mattress store (scenically located in a Manhattan loft) that specializes in high-end Swedish merchandise. Born late in the lives of his parents (Ed Asner and Jane Alexander), Brian finds that he just can't match his two older, high-achieving brothers (Ian Roberts and Robert Stanton). Still, everyone in the family cherishes “the afterthought.”
In reality, Brian is deeply dissatisfied with almost every aspect of his life, and spends much of his time pursuing his childhood dream of adopting a baby from China. Why China, only he knows. One day, Al Lolly (John Goodman) walks into the mattress store, a rich, bristly bear of a man with a very bad back. On Brian's advice, he orders the top-of-the-line mattress and stalks out, saying someone will be in later to arrange for delivery.
That someone is Al's daughter Harriet (Zooey Deschanel), who promptly falls asleep on the new bed. When she wakes to find that Brian has covered her with a blanket, she is touched, and takes tentative steps towards friendship and possible romance. When Brian's family discovers that he is dating someone – and that his longed-for adoption may have hit a snag – they barge into his life with the best of intentions. Soon Harriet's deep fear of commitment, Al's massive personality and the repressed Weathersby family all collide in an overwhelming ball of conflict, driving Brian to completely uncharacteristic behaviour.
Dano adeptly captures the external simplicity and internal complexity of Brian, perfectly matched by the honest yet anxiety-ridden Harriet's search for love. Goodman gives a bravura performance, all bluster one moment, all tender support and brusque paternal love the next. First-time filmmaker Matt Aselton has found a highly enjoyable, often funny and occasionally surreal way of asking some serious questions about commitment, family and the true nature of love.
Jane Schoettle
Matt Aselton was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Williams College with a degree in English literature. He began his career by directing commercials. Gigantic (08) marks his feature writing and directing debut.