My Giant

Starring: Billy Crystal, Kathleen Quinlan, Georghe Muresan, Joanna Pacula, Zane Carney, Jere Burns, Dan Castellaneta, Rider Strong, Doris Roberts, Eric Lloyd, Estelle Harris, Steven Seagal, Vern Troyer (uncredited)
Directed by: Michael Lehmann
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
1998

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A low level movie agent (Billy Crystal) discovers a 7-foot-7 giant (Georghe Muresan) in Romania and is convinced he can get him into the movies.

Review:

Tim: My Giant isn't a particularly good movie, but I found it just entertaining enough to consider this a decent film. It's ludicrous and obvious, but there's some heart in the film as well. Billy Crystal is a talented actor and the idea for the story came from him, so he certainly deserves some of the blame for this film not being better. However, I also think Crystal worked exceptionally hard to make this movie work. I left this film appreciating his effort, even if the final product was a bit lackluster.

I will stress that one of the most unique aspects of the film is the role the 7 feet, 7 inches Georghe Muresan plays. There aren't a lot of movies that feature a "giant", nor do they make him a Shakespeare reciting, hopeless romantic. This character had such unexpected quirks to him. I loved that they played against the expectations with the character of Max. He was a surprisingly complex character and I give Crystal and the screenwriter a lot of credit for not taking the easy way out. That's probably the highlight of the movie. Even though the character of Max was often too naive, it was quite fascinating to see this character on screen. I actually really enjoyed that they addressed the health issues that many gigantic human beings face. It just made this movie feel so different. In many ways, this is a typical comedy- but throw in a "giant" and it's instantly unique. It helps that Muresan does a fantastic job here. He might not be a great actor, but he brought a nice energy to the film. It was fun seeing him in this role.

I thought Crystal did a nice job, too. He was funny and endearing. His character felt thin and far too expected. He's the cynical, selfish Hollywood agent who will undoubtedly undergo a transformation and find his heart. That's exactly what happens. Crystal sells it and gives it his all, but there's only so much he can do with such a generic character. Now, there are some legitimately funny parts throughout the film. I thought the line in the opening narration about Crystal's character's dad disliking his trip to Romania (it was during World War II) was especially funny. There's a few other great moments, but these are too few and far between. Outside of a few strong lines, this movie was surprisingly unfunny.

The supporting cast isn't much to speak of. Kathleen Quinlan does a good job in a pretty throwaway role. She gets one solid scene near the end, but is mostly underutilized. Rider Strong was good in a small role. Joanna Pacula felt miscast. I do have to applaud Steven Seagal's role of playing a version of himself. This was so unexpected and one of the best scenes of the entire film. First off, there's absolutely no way that Seagal and Crystal should have ever shared the screen together. They couldn't be more different as actors and I love that they had several scenes together. And, I have to give Seagal credit because this movie directly makes fun of him in a fairly unflattering way and he was such a good sport about it. I did laugh repeatedly when he talks to Crystal's character's son. That conversation was hilarious. I'm still shocked Seagal agreed to it, but it was so funny.

I really enjoyed the scene early on where the physical differences between Muresan and Crystal were played up. As mentioned, at 7'7'', Muresan is enormous. Billy Crystal at 5'7'' is a full two feet shorter than him. The visual difference is almost mind boggling. I wish the movie played this up even more than just that one scene early on (them sitting opposite each other at the table was a highlight). Still, I guess the film deserves some credit for moving away from the visual gags and trying to tell a story with some complexity and depth. I have to admit I was fairly surprised by one turn the script took. I applauded it for being so unexpected and unsatisfying, but the resolution of the film's central issue felt a bit forced and unethical. As mentioned, I appreciated the movie didn't give us the easy Hollywood ending, although it does end up being a bit too sugary sweet (just not in the way we initially expected). The surprises all come with Muresan's character. Crystal's character follows the most obvious, expected path.

My Giant is a fine movie. It has a few good moments and a killer gag with Steven Seagal. However, the movie as a whole is never especially funny and it doesn't really tug at the heartstrings effectively. It's a decent film, but certainly one that needed to be a lot better than it was.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



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