gemaria16

(2013-05-21 20:59:49)

Great flick

Terrific film - really realistic and charming love story and take onthe lives of people whom have more depth and sensitivity than ourculture usually accepts. Characters were well developed, except forJenna Fisher's which was my only disappointment. Some people in lifereally are just quiet, and can be swept away by life or by thepushiness of others (even those well intentioned), and she did a greatjob communicating her thought processes through her face and her eyes.As a viewer, I could see what she wasn't about it and I appreciatedthat, but it was hard to see what she was about exactly - what herdreams and motivations were other than survival - and I thought thescene where she disclosed her being adopted in the diner could havebeen elaborated on. While the other characters were given opportunitiesto have some revealing moments of dialogue, her disclosures werethrough her sad and thoughtful facial expressions and eyes, which atthe end, when she finally took control of her life, became a great bigsmile that lit up her face. But when her character did finally have hersay to her sister in the movie theatre, I was hoping for a little moredepth. The best moment of success, I think, is where Jenna's characterfinally decides she is tired of standing quietly behind the juice cart(and her life as the world goes by) and marches into her bosses' officeand finds her voice, with a positive outcome. It's the culmination ofseveral passed over moments in the movie where as a viewer, I wantedher to speak up for herself, and finally she does, and really, it's amoment her life changes for the better, a challenge we can all relateto, especially those of us that are more quiet and sensitive bymainstream society's standards.Chris Messina's character was about self expression and helping othersconnect and reflect in gentle ways, and Topher Grace's character, whileless noble, was an interesting contrast in also having an influence inothers but in a notorious way. Chris Messina was adorable as anartistic type, one of the good guys, trying to fit into a materialistcworld, Topher Grace nailed the narcissistic perfectly, and MalickAckerman played the quintessential well meaning sister whom doesn'treally see the main character (her big sister) but tries to fix her"failings", which were really just a lack of superficial cultureacceptance. A great scene that shows this is the day Jenna Fisher'scharacter is evicted from her apartment and moving into her sister'sspare bedroom in a nice house, feeling like a failure, and Malina'scharacter is following her around drinking a store bought coffee,reading about celebrity breakups on her phone. Another great scene iswhere the two main characters have just made love and they are agreeingthey are okay about getting serious about each other, with all thecareful vulnerability of two people who have been hurt but really seeand accept each other- very sweet and satisfying, and a moment ofgenuine success for them we get to witness. Really enjoyed and woulddefinitely recommend.

mcummins2

(2013-05-21 05:17:56)

But I NEVER do that!

Lee Kirk -- Your movie made me cry ...Realizing the significance of the powerful and positive impact thattaking the time to "stop and smell the roses" (sorry) can deliver toones very psyche seems to be unknown, forever lost or perhaps, justignored by many of us. How did this happen? What factors perpetuatethis selfish, though possibly mutually beneficial simple act ofawareness? Beats me. Maybe such "numbness" is simply a symptom of thatinsidious disease commonly known as The Dumbing Down Of America. Don'twe all want to understand and to be understood? I do. So,I try.Of course, these questions weren't answered in The Giant MechanicalMan, but I've never seen a movie come closer to clearly illustratingthose truths. This beautifully written, acted and photographed film isa gem!See it. See it without wearing your critic's eyeglasses...shields down!If you do, you'll be rewardedTHANK YOU!

ralphnice

(2013-05-21 02:48:47)

I'll see this film again and again...

I see film after film after film, ( partly because I have no life atthe moment ...ha ) and rarely do I a come across a Jewel like this. Icannot believe that most of us don't struggle with not knowing what youwant or who you are and what you're supposed to do. The moments of fatein this film seem very hard to believe but possible I suppose. I'd liketo find that one person to make me feel like I belong too. This filmmakes me want to wish I had a reset button so that I could see it overand over again for the first time. Chris Messina was effortless and thechemistry between him and Jenna Fischer was magical. I'll see this filmagain and again...

TxMike

(2013-05-20 18:40:22)

What do you do, when you don't know what to do?

This is a small movie, a sweet character study of a couple of30-somethings who are struggling to figure out what to do with theirlives.I have become a Jenna Fischer fan, not so much for her TV shows becauseI haven't seen them, but for her intimate movies, like this one and "ALittle Help". She grew up in the heartland, Indiana and Missouri, andexhibits that simplicity and innocence in her roles. Some see her andthink that she can't really act, but she is a fine actress, the nuancedperformances, with just the right expressions, and timing of herdialog.Here she is Janice, single and working for a temp agency. Crap work.The one instance we see is her being hired for a day to stand in frontof the door to an empty closet in an art museum, just to make sure noone attempts to enter the door. Add injury to insult, her temp bosstells her she has been getting unfavorable comments so she is beingfired.And further injury comes when she is being evicted for failure to payrent, so she is forced to ask her younger sister if she can stay withthem.Meanwhile in a parallel story Chris Messina as Tim is a "performanceartist", basically dresses as a Giant Mechanical Man on stilts and withblue and silver makeup and matching suit, he walks the city looking forspots to stand and entertain the public for coins and bills droppedinto his open briefcase. His live-in girlfriend gets tired of this andmoves out.Naturally Janice and Tim encounter each other, at first she sees himbeing interviewed on TV, then sees him on the street, but they don'tmeet until both show up at the same time answering a zoo ad for help.Out of his makeup she doesn't recognize him, but he remembers her. Whenthey become friends they realize that have a lot in common, they bothfeel a bit lost in the world and each is a bit fed up with friends andfamily telling them what they need to do.Pretty Malin Åkerman is Janice's sister Jill . She fixes Janice up withlong-haired Topher Grace as Doug , an author who specializes inself-help books, but in reality is a self-centered bore. Janice seesthrough him right away and never gets interested.(A guilty pleasure for me was seeing Bob Odenkirk as Mark , the brotherof Tim's outgoing girlfriend. I have come to enjoy him in his recurringrole in "Breaking Bad" as the shady lawyer Saul Goodman.) Anyway, this is a nice, small movie about adults who don't really knowwhat to do with their lives but know they want something better. In theend Tim accepts what he loves to do, while Janice finds she has a knackfor operations at the zoo and we leave her as she has become thehabitat assistant. And pretty good at it! Did I mention that I am a big Jenna Fischer fan?

VillageVoiceNY

(2013-05-14 13:23:46)

The Giant Mechanical Man

Lee Kirk's The Giant Mechanical Man wants to be both a wry, intelligent romantic comedy and a softly satiric look at the ways sensitive types struggle in a world where brutal materialism infects even our most intimate relationships. Janice (Jenna Fischer) is a drifting dreamer, working crappy temp jobs until her flightiness finally gets her fired. Tim (Chris Messina) is the mechanical man of the title, a sort of mime/performance artist who paints himself silver, straps on stilts, and sets up in different public locations every day, hoping to remind the dreamers in our midst that they are not...

VillageVoiceNY

(2013-05-13 23:01:02)

The Giant Mechanical Man

Lee Kirk's The Giant Mechanical Man wants to be both a wry, intelligentromantic comedy and a softly satiric look at the ways sensitive typesstruggle in a world where brutal materialism infects even our mostintimate relationships. Janice (Jenna Fischer) is a drifting dreamer,working crappy temp jobs until her flightiness finally gets her fired.Tim (Chris Messina) is the mechanical man of the title, a sort ofmime/performance artist who paints himself silver, straps on stilts,and sets up in different public locations every day, hoping to remindthe dreamers in our midst that they are not...Read the full review here: http://www.villagevoice.com/movies/

spandex07

(2013-05-09 03:14:26)

What a surprise!

This movie really is a true gem, and as others have said, hasn'treceived the credit it should have.I really liked that it was moredrama than comedy, as so many rom-com's these days come across as beingsilly and not believable. The characters are genuine and relatable, andit leaves you feeling good without to much "mush". I found that itreminded me of some of the John Hughes classics from the 80's, mainlyValley Girl, which also deals with trying to find your place when youfeel like you don't quite fit in to the mold, and how othersexpectations of you don't help in the struggle..If you loved this movieI can recommend Valley Girl as one to watch. It's another movie thatdidn't get the credit it deserved and stars a young Nic Cage.. I'll bekeeping an eye out for more movies this writer has done. Im sure thisone will end up being viewed as a classic in years to come :)

atiyaahsan

(2013-05-08 11:57:19)

The sweetest Rom-Com I've seen all year...!

What is wrong with IMDb people? How can this movie have such a lowrating? Out of all the Rom-Coms I've seen this year, this is by far thesweetest and perhaps the only one with genuine, believable characters.I mean, who among us hasn't felt at some point in life like they'relost, like they haven't got it all figured out, like they are stillstruggling. They feel confused at not having the same goals that giveother people a sense of achievement and not being able to conform tosociety's definition of success. The story is pretty straight-forwardand centers around real and ordinary people. Jenna Fischer is sweet andpersonable as the female lead, Topher grace is hilarious as theobnoxious author who won't stop bragging about his book, and I actuallyhave a younger sister akin to Malin Akerman's character of theover-bearing know-it-all sibling. She thinks just cuz' she got marriedfirst, she has the right to dish advice on every conceivabletopic....(smiley face) As for Chris Messina, well, it's the quietmoments where his character broods and mulls that speak volumes, andthe soundtrack suits the mood of the film just right. I loved the leadpair and I loved this movie. Go watch it if you wish to enjoy an hourand a half of some winsome and delightful drama!