360:. Aselton said the most challenging part of making the film was casting the two lead roles of Brian and Harriet. Paul Dano liked the script and was one of the first actors to sign on, which attracted others to join the cast. Aselton said that Dano was one of the first to audition for the role and the first to understand the story; Deschanel was the second actor to understand, and so both were cast. To prepare for his role, Dano talked to salesmen at Sleepy's, a mattress store, and bought
344:
adopt a baby. Aselton and Nagata, college friends who both come from literary backgrounds, aimed to write the film as novelistic and surrealist rather than expository. They wanted to show "those little things that are often found in literature but rarely in film", such as Brian and his father's age difference and how it affects their relationship, and
Harriet's walking around in her underpants and how it affects her and Brian's relationship. Aselton chose the title
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Aselton said that, as the youngest child in his family, he wanted his parents to adopt a
Chinese baby so that he could have a younger sibling; his younger brother did in fact adopt a baby later. He and co-writer Adam Nagata were fascinated by the idea and built the story around Brian's wanting to
517:
affectations it is really another contemplation of generational misunderstanding. Instead of the passionate '60s and '70s rebels pursuing authenticity in the material world, or '80s and '90s nihilists flamboyantly self-destructing, the movie's meek lovebirds only want something worth their
38:
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restaurant. Scenes in the mattress store were filmed inside an abandoned warehouse, which cinematographer Peter
Donahue described as "a big space with perfect texture on the walls and windows in the right places for motivated, practical light". Though the producers wanted to use
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Young mattress salesman Brian decides to adopt a baby from China. Brian's life becomes more complicated and contemplative when he forms a relationship with quirky, wealthy
Harriet, whom he meets at his mattress store.
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called it a "serious comedy about the children of privilege...a cautiously surreal, absurdist movie" with a protagonist (played by Dano) who's a "close spiritual relative of the polite young men who drift through
364:
tapes to learn some of the language as his character did. Filming began on March 3, 2008 and lasted for 23 days. As a director of commercials, Aselton brought many of his former crew members with him to work on
348:
because "There's an innocence about the " due to its use by young children to describe something fantastic. He felt that the title was "a juxtaposition against Brian's life changing decision to adopt a baby".
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earned $ 102,704 in gross revenue in its limited thirteen-week, eleven-theater release, with its one-theater opening weekend collecting $ 10,294 of that total. Worldwide, the film grossed $ 165,888.
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245:, but finds himself sharing his passion with the quirky, wealthy Harriet (Deschanel) when they meet in his store. The story was based on Aselton's childhood wish for his parents to adopt a
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649:
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439:
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241:. The script, written by Aselton and his college friend Adam Nagata, tells of Brian (Dano), a mattress salesman who wishes to adopt a baby from
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bought the film's North
American distribution rights. The film was pre-screened at Vassar College in the fall of 2008. It was screened at the
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called it "another flimsy indie comedy for the heap" with a "screenplay's per-page quota of 'unexpected' tweaks little room for much else."
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of 4.57/10. The site's consensus reads: "This overly quirky, incessantly whimsical indie is too self-conscious for its own good".
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The script languished for several years before the film went into production, when producer Mindy
Goldberg brought the script to
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614:""Gigantic," "Peter and Vandy," "Phantomschmerz," "The Seminar with Robert McKee," and "You Won't Miss Me.""
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978:"TORONTO '08 DISPATCH: "Paris," "Valentino," "Gigantic" and "Lymelife" Among Toronto Offerings"
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1117:"AFI Dallas - Gigantic, Prom Night in Mississippi and Crude Win Top Prizes"
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496:(½ out of four stars), though it complimented Dano's "fine performance."
576:""Paris," "Valentino," "Gigantic" and "Lymelife" Among Toronto Offerings"
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750:"TIFF: 'Gigantic' Q&A With Paul Dano And Director Matt Aselton"
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1059:"Cornell Cinema to offer sneak peek at 'Gigantic' Saturday night"
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gives the film a 36% approval rating based on 83 reviews, with a
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Brooks, Brian; Knegt, Peter; Sung, Jenny (September 11, 2008).
398:
509:
With its off-center dialogue and upscale industrial settings,
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because of the tight budget, Aselton and
Donahue chose to use
473:
called the film a "meager sum of quirky details" and gave it
242:
903:"Paul Dano's 'Gigantic' Films in Brooklyn Heights Wednesday"
871:"How Peter Donahue Turned a Hobby into One Gigantic Career"
686:"Dano reminisces about the University, discusses Gigantic"
1345:
IONCINEMA.com interview with writer/director Matt
Aselton
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440:
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on April 3, 2009, coinciding with its showing at the
426:on September 9, 2008. Following its screening at
1351:
438:Cinema on February 14, 2009 and in March at the
1241:"The Swagger of Fathers, the Drift of Children"
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1273:— Another for the Indie Comedy Heap"
775:"92YTribeca Q&A with Paul Dano, Actor"
36:
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805:"Goodman, Asner, Alexander in 'Gigantic'"
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926:"Quercy Serves As Movie Set for a Night"
513:strains to be original. But beneath its
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648:Guerrasio, Jason (September 12, 2008).
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1057:Fenchel, Luke Z. (February 12, 2009).
1029:Goldstein, Gregg (November 10, 2008).
868:
717:Roberts, Soraya (September 11, 2008).
679:
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444:AFI Dallas International Film Festival
257:. It had its world premiere at 2008's
221:directed by Matt Aselton and starring
1148:"'Lymelife' to open Gen Art festival"
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836:Fipphen, Daniel (February 13, 2009).
748:Perez, Rodrigo (September 10, 2008).
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924:Gallagher, Aileen (March 21, 2008).
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957:Toronto International Film Festival
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424:Toronto International Film Festival
369:. Most of production took place in
259:Toronto International Film Festival
13:
1425:English-language independent films
1390:Films produced by Christine Vachon
1267:Pinkerton, Nick (March 31, 2009).
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377:but several scenes were filmed in
14:
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1327:
1205:Stewart, Henry (March 29, 2009).
1031:"FIP has 'Gigantic' in its grasp"
1003:Dixon, Guy (September 13, 2008).
612:Guerrasio, Jason (May 15, 2008).
781:. March 31, 2009. Archived from
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1198:
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1146:Thielman, Sam (March 3, 2009).
1139:
1115:Rocchi, James (April 3, 2009).
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813:. March 3, 2008. Archived from
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719:"Paul Dano Breaks the Silence"
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542:
505:films". The review concludes:
1:
1420:English-language comedy films
869:Fisher, Bob (April 2, 2009).
536:
385:. Filming locations included
338:
1410:2000s English-language films
1400:2008 directorial debut films
905:. McBrooklyn. March 12, 2008
838:"From the Hill to Hollywood"
457:
7:
1385:Films shot in New York City
249:baby. The film was shot in
146:September 8, 2008
10:
1441:
1375:Films set in New York City
684:Bui, Kim (April 8, 2008).
448:limited theatrical release
432:First Independent Pictures
422:The film premiered at the
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133:First Independent Pictures
15:
1380:Films shot in Connecticut
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42:Theatrical release poster
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18:Gigantic (disambiguation)
650:"TIFF '08: Matt Aselton"
292:as Harriet "Happy" Lolly
261:and was released in the
1121:American Movie Classics
277:
161:April 3, 2009
1405:2008 independent films
1036:The Hollywood Reporter
1005:"A week of reel deals"
217:is a 2008 independent
1370:American comedy films
843:The Cornell Daily Sun
729:on September 24, 2008
588:on September 14, 2008
452:Gen Art Film Festival
410:format, mainly using
379:Stamford, Connecticut
1415:2000s American films
984:. September 11, 2008
810:Entertainment Weekly
662:on February 13, 2009
428:American Film Market
169: (United States)
16:For other uses, see
626:on January 14, 2009
286:as Brian Weathersby
1395:Killer Films films
1246:The New York Times
1063:The Ithaca Journal
1009:The Globe and Mail
655:Filmmaker Magazine
436:Cornell University
412:medium-long lenses
310:as Mrs. Weathersby
265:on April 3, 2009.
25:2008 American film
1365:2008 comedy films
1305:"Gigantic (2009)"
1278:The Village Voice
1239:(April 3, 2009).
883:on April 23, 2009
698:on April 11, 2009
524:The Village Voice
391:Cadman Plaza West
326:Zach Galifianakis
304:as Mr. Weathersby
210:
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1322:
1321:
1319:
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1301:
1295:
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1285:on April 5, 2009
1281:. Archived from
1269:"Matt Aselton's
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1127:on April 7, 2009
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1092:. Archived from
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658:. Archived from
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622:. Archived from
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584:. Archived from
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467:weighted average
387:Brooklyn Heights
362:Chinese language
354:Christine Vachon
334:as Roger Stovall
316:as Missy Thaxton
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153:
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72:Christine Vachon
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1310:Box Office Mojo
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1237:Holden, Stephen
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1096:on May 31, 2011
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555:Box Office Mojo
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328:as Homeless Guy
290:Zooey Deschanel
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1185:Fandango Media
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139:Release dates
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107:Peter Donahue
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1334:
1314:. Retrieved
1308:
1299:
1287:. Retrieved
1283:the original
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1270:
1262:
1250:. Retrieved
1244:
1216:. Retrieved
1210:
1200:
1188:. Retrieved
1178:
1169:
1157:. Retrieved
1151:
1141:
1129:. Retrieved
1125:the original
1110:
1098:. Retrieved
1094:the original
1087:
1078:
1068:February 13,
1066:. Retrieved
1052:
1040:. Retrieved
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1024:
1012:. Retrieved
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998:
986:. Retrieved
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960:. Retrieved
956:
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935:. Retrieved
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919:
907:. Retrieved
897:
885:. Retrieved
881:the original
874:
849:February 14,
847:. Retrieved
841:
831:
819:. Retrieved
815:the original
808:
799:
787:. Retrieved
783:the original
769:
757:. Retrieved
754:The Playlist
753:
743:
731:. Retrieved
727:the original
712:
700:. Retrieved
696:the original
689:
664:. Retrieved
660:the original
653:
628:. Retrieved
624:the original
617:
590:. Retrieved
586:the original
579:
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521:
510:
461:
421:
366:
358:Killer Films
351:
345:
342:
314:Leven Rambin
302:Edward Asner
296:John Goodman
272:
235:Edward Asner
231:John Goodman
213:
212:
211:
178:Running time
124:Roddy Bottum
98:John Goodman
90:Edward Asner
59:Matt Aselton
51:Matt Aselton
22:
1316:January 12,
1014:January 15,
988:January 15,
962:January 15,
759:January 15,
733:January 12,
518:commitment.
395:Cobble Hill
383:Los Angeles
298:as Al Lolly
255:Connecticut
219:comedy film
66:Produced by
61:Adam Nagata
48:Directed by
1360:2008 films
1354:Categories
1207:"Gigantic"
1175:"Gigantic"
1084:"Gigantic"
1042:January 4,
953:"Gigantic"
937:January 4,
909:January 4,
876:MovieMaker
821:January 4,
779:92YTribeca
691:Pace Press
666:January 4,
630:January 4,
592:January 4,
550:"Gigantic"
537:References
503:mumblecore
404:16 mm film
339:Production
203:Box office
182:98 minutes
165:2009-04-03
150:2008-09-08
56:Written by
982:IndieWire
702:April 11,
619:IndieWire
581:IndieWire
458:Reception
375:Manhattan
284:Paul Dano
223:Paul Dano
206:$ 165,888
112:Edited by
82:Paul Dano
1335:Gigantic
1289:April 4,
1271:Gigantic
1252:April 4,
1218:April 4,
1159:March 5,
1131:April 4,
1100:July 30,
931:New York
887:April 5,
789:April 4,
531:Gigantic
511:Gigantic
442:and the
408:Super 35
371:Brooklyn
367:Gigantic
346:Gigantic
322:as Linda
251:New York
214:Gigantic
195:Language
120:Music by
78:Starring
31:Gigantic
1190:July 8,
1153:Variety
418:Release
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247:Chinese
198:English
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399:Quercy
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1340:IMDb
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1291:2009
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1192:2019
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1102:2009
1070:2009
1044:2009
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964:2023
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791:2009
761:2023
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668:2009
632:2009
594:2009
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