Gigantic 2008

Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies: I felt like I was being hit over the head with a quirky club. Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: Any resemblance the film bears to real people and real situations is purely coincidental. Read more

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. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: One of those indies that seems to be trying to top the quirkiness quotient of Juno. Read more

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. Read more

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. Read more

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. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Seriously? Indie directors are still making painfully twee, self-conscious romances all these years after Sundance birthed so many quirky cliches? Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Quirk fans, prepare to be lightly exhilarated. Read more

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: The various twilight performances of the veteran players deserve a look, as do the always interesting appearances of Mr. Dano and Ms. Deschanel. Only the sparks are missing this time. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: It looks like it was made for one-half of Joan Crawford's old soundstage Pepsi-Cola budget and sounds like it was written by chimpanzees. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The characters and situations are a little too quirky for their own good. Everyone is skewed off-center and, while that can be charming in small measures, Gigantic overdoses on it. Read more

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. Read more

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 really, really good. Read more

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. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Zooey Deschanel is the most delightful young actress in Hollywood. Read more

Hank Sartin, Time Out: Read more

Tom Huddlestone, Time Out: 'Gigantic' is a film that succeeds by wearing the viewer down, as an infuriatingly coy, self-conscious first act gives way to a sweet and affecting climax. Read more

Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice: I don't remember ever wanting to just haul out and punch a movie before Gigantic. Read more