One of my all-time favorite movies features Billy Crystal and Andre the Giant. I couldn't help but think of The Princess Bride, that endlessly quotable comedic extravaganza, as I began to watch My Giant,
starring Crystal and another giant, basketball dynamo Gheorghe Muresan,
and incorporating lush Romanian landscapes and gentle music suitable
for a fairy tale. This 1998 movie is not a comparable laugh riot, though
there were many moments that gave me the giggles. Rather, it is a
tender story of friendship, and as the credits rolled, I discovered that
the Princess Bride vibes were probably intentional, since the
film, which Crystal wrote with David Seltzer and produced, was dedicated
to Andre, who died in 1993.
Andre's Fezzik, the lovable rhyming giant, is my favorite character in Princess Bride,
and Muresan puts echoes of that performance into Maximus Zamphirescu, a
seven-and-a-half-foot-tall Shakespeare enthusiast raised in the company
of monks. When Sammy Kamin (Crystal), an agent recently ditched by his
sole client, cocky teen star Justin Allen (Rider Strong), meets him, he
sees dollar signs. He's sure he can make a huge star out of Max - and a
small fortune for himself - if he can just convince his naive new friend
to come along for the ride. Max, used to living in hiding from derisive
villagers, isn't easily swayed, but he does have one very compelling
reason to follow Sammy to America: his childhood sweetheart, Lilliana
Rotaru (Joanna Pacula), whom he hasn't seen or heard from in 20 years.
Sammy dangles the prospect of meeting Lilliana before Max as he
good-naturedly accompanies the agent on an exhausting journey while
Sammy struggles with whether turning Max into a star is really what's
best for him.
Crystal narrates the film from time to time,
mostly toward the beginning. His witty commentary is occasionally
heartfelt, usually entertaining. I especially enjoy a montage in the
film's first few minutes in which he explains his lifelong ability to
talk people into things, the highlight of which involves him as a kid
(Eric Lloyd) convincing his Orthodox rabbi to give pork a try. His dry
humor is showcased throughout the film, but there are also opportunities
for somber reflection. Sammy is a bit self-involved, a bit of an
opportunist, but mostly he's a nice guy caught up in an often brutal
business. It's clear he cares for Max and is distressed by the poor
treatment his condition often gets him. He also is devoted to his
family, smart-aleck son Nicky (Zane Carney) and estranged wife Serena
(Kathleen Quinlan), but he's forgotten how to show it, and this quest is
more about his development as a compassionate individual than Max's
road to self-worth.
But the towering Muresan shines as well,
and Max really is the movie's heart, showing Sammy how to love truly and
deeply. His deep, accented voice is distinctive, jarring at first but
soon warmly familiar, like his ever-present smile. Quinlan is also
impressive, particularly in a moving scene toward the end of the film,
and Strong is delightfully irritating. Other standouts include Jere
Burns as the testy movie director who gives Max his first big break and
Steven Seagal as himself. Michael Coulter's cinematography captures the
beauty of Max's homeland, while Marc Shaiman's sprightly score is
enchanting. It all comes together to make My Giant a tender, funny film for the whole family to ponder and enjoy.
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