The Giant Mechanical Man

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The Giant Mechanical Man
Giant Mechanical Man.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed byLee Kirk
Written byLee Kirk
Produced by Jenna Fischer
Molly Hassell
Michael Nardelli
Brent Stiefel
Starring
CinematographyDoug Emmett
Edited byRobert Komatsu
Music byRich Ragsdale
Production
companies
Taggart Productions
Votiv Films
Two Tall Boots
Distributed byTribeca Films
Release date
  • April 27, 2012 (2012-04-27)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$900,000 [1]
Box office$7,396 [2]

The Giant Mechanical Man is an American romantic comedy [3] [2] film written and directed by Lee Kirk. It debuted at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival and was distributed by Tribeca Films.

Contents

Plot

Janice is a woman in her 30s who has yet to learn how to navigate adulthood. Tim, a devoted street artist, finds that being a silver-painted street performer doesn't pay the bills. His chosen career leads his girlfriend to break up with him. Janice is evicted from her apartment and forced to move in with her overbearing sister, Jill. Janice receives pressure to date an egotistical self-help guru called Doug. She meets Tim when they both end up working at the zoo.

As Janice and Tim begin working together at the zoo, they slowly develop a lighthearted connection that evolves into a quality friendship. After bumping into each other by coincidence a couple of times away from work, they eventually agree to go out on a date. The date goes exceedingly well and they end up sleeping together, then go on to develop a great connection via conversation afterward.

Janice's sister, Jill, then tries to create a relationship between Janice and Doug. Janice has no interest but ends up on a semi-forced date with Doug. Janice walks by Tim while he's in his Mechanical Man costume and does not realize it is him. As they turn the corner out of Tim's line of sight, Doug has his arm around her and finds this the opportune moment to go in for a kiss. Janice declines his advances, but Tim, unfortunately, does not see her do that. Tim is very hurt and cuts off contact with Janice, which is confusing to her since she has no idea that he saw her with Doug.

As she leaves a movie theater, where Tim was supposed to join her and meet Jill, she sees the Giant Mechanical Man again and takes the opportunity to confess her situation to him. As she continues talking, he reveals himself to be Tim, and they clasp hands as they face each other and smile.

I watched very attentively, watched it twice in the same sitting. I was afraid that I may have missed an important nuance. Brilliant story,script, makeup, acting, cinematography, moral to the story. Live your life on your own terms, even if it contradicts convention. Teaches that we can all learn to love, give love, feel loveable. We later learn that Janice was adopted. Janice is a beautiful soul, her acting shows that, Her yourger sister lives life in line with societal expectations. She was critical of Janice her whole life. Her sister is emotionally lonely, depraved. At the zoo, Janice and Doug attentively watch the penguins in the display, robotically following eachother, as a metaphor for how most of us lead our lives. Please take note, learn your heart, and follow it rather than acting robotically like the penguins. Ironically, "Giant Mechanical Man", is anything but robotic. We can all escape that fate. This is the most touching movie I've ever seen, ever. May these comments they inspire others to invest 1.5 hour to see it. Your life will be enhanced.

Credits roll, and short scenes appear hinting at a happy relationship unfolding over an indeterminate period of time. Source, my heart.

Cast

Production

Filming began in November 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. Kirk had imagined setting the film during Autumn in Chicago but instead filmed in during Winter in Detroit as Michigan tax incentives made it more affordable to shoot there. [1] The film was shot over 19 days. [1] Many scenes were shot in the Detroit Zoo.

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 70% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10. [4] On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 43% based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [3]

John Anderson of Variety gave the film a positive review, stating that the film "will meet most audiences' standards for 'charming.'" Anderson also noted that Grace's "hair-flipping delivery virtually steals the movie." [5]

Mike McGranaghan of AiselSeat.com gave the film three out of four stars, stating that "Jenna Fischer and Chris Messina do exceptional work here, making the characters immensely likable. You can relate to them even if you've never quite walked a mile in their shoes. The stars share a nice chemistry as well, creating a bond that brings real warmth to the story's emotional ending." McGranaghan noted that the film "wears its indie quirks on its sleeve a little too much. Some of those quirks feel forced, especially the stuff with Topher Grace's self-possessed creep." [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 E. Nina Rothe (April 25, 2012). "Five Lessons in Passion from The Giant Mechanical Man and Lee Kirk". Huffington Post.
  2. 1 2 "The Giant Mechanical Man: Domestic Total Gross". Box Office Mojo . May 17, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
  3. 1 2 "The Giant Mechanical Man". Metacritic .
  4. ↑ "The Giant Mechanical Man". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  5. ↑ Anderson, John (April 25, 2012). "Review: "The Giant Mechanical Man"". Variety. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  6. ↑ "THE GIANT MECHANICAL MAN". AilseSeat.com.
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