Movie review: The Giant Mechanical Man

Movie review: The Giant Mechanical Man
Directed by: Lee Kirk

Starring: Jenna Fischer, Chris Messina, Topher Grace

Rating: B+

I recently discovered this movie on Netflix and I am glad I did. It is not terribly old, 2012, but it is certainly something that wasn’t on my radar. I picked it because Netflix told me I would most likely love it. A person has to give a little pause when a prediction is so near 100% for favorability. Perhaps this comes from an interest in proving wrong computerized methods of calculating my interests. Well, nice job Netflix. You got this one exactly right. I greatly enjoyed it.

The characters in this movie are sad and lost. Even if you are not sad and lost, they are relatable. I found myself nodding my head in affirmation of their misfit feelings. They are not misfits; they are characters who are just looking for someone who won’t make them feel like they are the odd one out. This thought is even summed up by a line in the movie in the bar scene; we are basically all looking for that one person who will understand.

The lead actress, Janice, is going through a number of life changes as she floats along. Her sister does not make the lack of direction any easier. In fact, Jill projects her own life desires on Janice thinking her life will turn around if she only heads in the same direction. This is not true, Janice does not want what Jill wants and/or has. This causes great frustration.

The lead actor, Tim, is also coasting through life, and the idea of getting a more stable job and existence is thrust upon him. No one seems to understand Tim’s plight. He is a street performer, the giant mechanical man. He dresses in silver from his clothes to his face paint and dons stilts to bring smiles to passersby on the street. It appears that his desire to be a street performer is simply because he is a performance artist, but then we come to understand that Tim’s performances bring to life his detached outlook on life. He has not found anyone to help him make sense of his existence.

Janice develops a fondness for the giant mechanical man because she feels he understands her. She talks to him even though the giant mechanical man cannot react to her, as that would break character. Unknowingly, Janice and Tim begin working at the same zoo, both in jobs that are beneath their qualifications. They develop a friendship that grows into something more romantic. Janice doesn’t know Tim is the giant mechanical man and we don’t know how she will find out that Tim is the street performer she feels so deeply understands her, but we know it will happen. Will this discovery bring happiness or confusion?

This movie has a deeper message to convey. The acting is solid and makes the viewer understand the feeling of hopelessness. The characters really do appear to be lost in life and contemplating the meaning of everything. The directing excellently turns their hopelessness into a trajectory heading toward happiness.  We watch as they realize they don’t have to have everything figured out they just have to be content with their place in the world. The viewer becomes invested in the story because we’re rooting for a happy ending.