Gigantic (2008) - Aselton's idiosyncratic romcom debut

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Zooey Deschanel finds herself in an extremely short dress in a flush apartment on this yellow, everything-everywhere poster for Matt Aselton's Gigantic

A bed salesman in New York falls for a rude customer's daughter, who, however, is overwhelmed by his love.

 

Gigantic is written by Adam Nagata (Lying and Stealing (2019)) and debuting co-writer/director Matt Aselton (French Exit (2020, executive producer)). 

The film has good ingredients in Paul Dano (L.I.E. (2001)), Zooey Deschanel (Yes Man (2008)), John Goodman (The Monuments Men (2014)), Jane Alexander (The Cider House Rules (1999)) and Edward Asner (Island Prey (2001)), who all contribute more or less to its romcom stew, one that is a bit too much of a male patriarchal drivel reality for my taste. - One scene is bound to downright repulse quite a lot of female audiences (and perhaps rightly so.)

But there is also some fun and good scenes, - like the one in which Deschanel calls her substance abuse-mother in Florida, who doesn't recognize her voice. But the script doesn't answer a couple of fundamental oddities in it, which makes it appear somewhat unfair: Who is Zack Galifianakis' (Due Date (2010)) homeless attacker, whom Dano appears to kill, - and why does he attack him in the first place? - What is this supposed to mean? And why has Dano's character from childhood been obsessed with adopting a Chinese baby? No one every asks this (fairly obvious) question, and it honestly seems freaky, not least because he ends up receiving one in Gigantic.

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: Unknown

Box office: 165k $

= Uncertain, but almost surely a box office disaster

[Gigantic premiered 8 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 98 minutes. The story is based on Aselton's childhood wish for his parents to adopt a Chinese baby for him to have a younger sibling. Shooting took place in New York and Connecticut for 23 days in March 2008. The film opened #68 to a 10k $ first weekend in 1 theater in North America, where it never attained a higher position although it widened to 11 theaters, grossing 102k $ (61.8 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 40k $ (24.2 %) and the UK with 22k $ (13.3 %), - the only two other markets listed on the film's Box Office Mojo site. If made on a realistic, low 3-5 mil. $ budget, the film would rank as a box office disaster. Roger Ebert gave the film a 2.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Aselton returned with Robin Banks and the Bank Robbers (2014, TV-series) and theatrically with Lying and Stealing (2019). Dano returned in Taking Woodstock (2009); Deschanel in Yes Man (2008); and Goodman in The Emperor's New Schoool (2007-08, TV-series short) and theatrically in Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009). Gigantic is rotten at 36 % with a 4.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Gigantic?

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) - Benton's amazing, truthful divorce drama

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The poster for Robert Benton's Kramer vs. Kramer wisely keeps a blissful atmosphere

Kramer vs. Kramer is one of those 70s classics that you just have to have seen. - And if you haven't yet, get a hold of it, because it's a masterpiece.
It's the third directorial effort of screenwriter Robert Benton (The Human Stain (2003)), who had already written other classics like Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and What's Up, Doc? (1972). He adapted the same-titled 1977 novel by Avery Corman (Prized Possessions (1992)).

Ted & Joanna Kramer's marriage is over. He has been working too much, while she has grown increasingly unhappy, and she now decides to leave him and their young son for a while.

My plot summary above doesn't contain most of the film's story, because I don't want to give away the emotional journey that the film covers. Kramer vs. Kramer shows the break-up of a 'good' marriage, (I mean that in the sense that it is not one that is haunted by violence, alcoholism, drugs, cheating or other unpleasantries), SPOILER and how a custody battle in a modern world might play. The title is, in a sense, a contrast to the film at hand, SPOILER because, while Ted and Joanna ultimately do fight each other in court, they never go to all-out war with each other, and the tenderness that most married couples feel for each other even after a divorce also has its place here.
Benton's Oscar-winning script keeps the plot moving and the characters evolving in a believable way, as we witness them, which is exhilarating and rare to witness. The film seems archetypal and very plausible at the same time. It is heightened by several simple yet golden scenes, (SPOILER my favorite might be Ted's first morning alone with his son), great, Oscar-nominated cinematography by Néstor Almendros (The Blue Lagoon (1980)), pitch perfect, Oscar-nominated editing by Gerald B. Greenberg (American History X (1998)) and excellent choices of original, classical music pieces by Vivaldi, Henry Purcell and others that play extremely well in scenes around the dialog scenes.

The glorious Meryl Streep as Joanna Kramer in Robert Benton's Kramer vs. Kramer

The details:

Two vital ingredients are what make Kramer vs. Kramer stand out and transcend most other divorce dramas:
Dustin Hoffman (Finding Neverland (2004)) and Meryl Streep (Rendition (2007)), who both won their first Oscars here and engender their roles to a remarkable degree, making them nuanced and almost palpably real to us. They are both truly amazing here.
And they are backed by several other great actors' performances; especially Justin Henry (Sixteen Candles (1984)), who was Oscar-nominated as little Billy Kramer is incredibly well-playing, and Jane Alexander (The Blacklist (2013-14)) as neighbor Margaret, George Coe (Funny People (2009)) as Ted's boss and Howard Duff (Too Much Sun (1990)) as his lawyer also give excellent characterizations.
Benton has made it all come to life so vividly, intelligently, perfectly, eliciting tears and a little laughter in just the right dose for the subject. Kramer vs. Kramer is a gem.

Dustin Hoffman as Ted Kramer in Robert Benton's Kramer vs. Kramer

Watch the original trailer for the movie here

Cost: 8 mil. $
Box office: 106.2 mil. $ (North America only)
= Blockbuster
[Kramer vs. Kramer was unbelievably successful, especially for an exclusively adult drama about divorce, and it's the kind of success that 'serious' movie lovers everywhere would love to see materialize again, because it allows for many serious adult movies to be made in its wake. The film won 5 Oscars; besides the ones mentioned, it also won Best Picture and Best Director, making Benton a two-time Oscar winner overnight, (he would win his third for his writing of Places in the Heart (1984)). Alexander was also nominated as Best Supporting Actress, and the film won and was nominated for a heap of other awards worldwide. A shame the international gross figures don't seem to be out on the web, but it appears from the few numbers that are available that the film was a global hit.]

What do you think of Kramer vs. Kramer?
What other superior films of divorce can you mention?

City Heat (1984) - Eastwood and Reynolds wrestle dispassionately in Benjamin's messy period affair

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A nostalgia/buddy poster that seems to actively want to invoke George Roy Hill's super-successful The Sting (1973), for Richard Benjamin's City Heat

QUICK REVIEW:

Some murders, corruption, torture, prostitutes and fistfights in Kansas City of the 1930's.

- So superficially and indifferently can the plot of City Heat accurately be summed up. Although its teaming up of Clint Eastwood (In the Line of Fire (1993)) and Burt Reynolds (Boogie Nights (1997)) theoretically could have proven a big pleasure, - in a loony car-movie, for instance, - here they are far from it. In fact this may be Eastwood's poorest film as an actor.
City Heat is a forced noir-ish gangster burb, which is unpleasant and coarse to boot. The designs and costumes look like a costume party. The film is truly a dud.
It was originally written by Blake Edwards (Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)), who was fired as director of the film, and it was rewritten by Richard Benjamin (Made in America (1993)) under the pseudonym Sam O. Brown, who became the director, while Edwards renounced the finished film.
Eastwood got 4 mil. $ for doing City Heat, while Reynolds' jaw broke in an accident on the first day, causing him to be restricted to a liquid diet that made him lose 30 pounds during the production. He was conclusively suspected of having AIDS in the tabloids, and also developed an addiction to analgesics [painkillers]. - Bummer!

Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds even look sour and lost on this German poster for Richard Benjamin's City Heat

Watch the loud, inane trailer for the film here

Cost: 25 mil. $
Box office: 38.3 mil. $ (US only)
= Flop, though some uncertainty
[City Heat was poorly received upon release, although audiences in America seemed to flock to see it nonetheless. Since foreign box office results are unknown, the flop status is somewhat uncertain.]

What do you think of City Heat?
Is this Clint Eastwood's worst film?
And Burt Reynolds' worst film?