Gigantic
(Friday, Apr. 3, 2009)
But, of course, Paul Dano is falling for Zooey Deschanel. Who isn't? In this little movie (aptly called Gigantic), Dano plays a 28-year-old salesman working the showroom of an upscale Swedish mattress shop. He's often left daydreaming in self-bummer that he's the afterthought child to his very old, very odd parents (once, Mom orchestrated a trek into the woods on the hunt for psychedelic mushrooms) who've already "celebrated" with their other sons — one an oil man, another a surgeon. Mr. Mattress' daydream goes even further: He'd like to adopt a baby from China. Enter: the beguiling Deschanel, who falls asleep on a store mattress one day, and Dano can't help but think that it's love at first sight. However, in order to get the girl, he must win over her obnoxious, art-collecting bully of a father (John Goodman) — does it help or hurt that Dano pushd Pops into purchasing a $14,000 mattress? The two affected lovebirds desperately seek for direction and "a path" — is the Chinese baby it? — in what is a surreal, very sweet and wounded comedy.YESTERDAY'S DO-IT: Fifteen years later, it's ER's swan song!