Highly Overrated But Still Good

Best movie ever!

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

If you are like me, and don't subscribe to the hollywood blockbuster type movie, you will probably like this movie. Pete is great as usual, and sexy, and he finally plays a romantic lead part. This movie has many funny scenes. So do yourself a favor, next time you are at the rental place, walk past the wall of 50 copies of the same movie, and take the one with only two copies. That is where I found this little gem. Enjoy!

As a drama set in working class Yorkshire, Among Giants certainly has its antecedants: The Fully Monty, with which it shares a screenwriter, Sheffield and an interest in full male nudity (which in this film, we actually get to see!); Brassed Off, which also featured Pete Poselthwaite, a collection of emotional but never histrionic performances, and a slightly charicatured depiction of free market economics; and sitting above them all, the memory of Ken Loach's Kes. The film lacks Loach's realism, and the plot is full of holes. Against that, both Poselthwaite and Rachel Griffiths are superb, and it's shot with a great feel for landscape, both inside and outside the city. It's not perfect, and it lacks the Monty's cheap selling points, but in spite of that, it's done with real feeling and is arguably the better film.

All of the negative and positive comments I have read about this film are true, but this film does stick with you--I saw it at 3am on HBO--and enjoyed it. In summary, I believe that the experience of seeing this film is filled with many contradictions, It's often slow and pointless but engaging in a weird way. I believe that the characters have depth, although they are not developed sufficiently in the film (I guess that we are free to fill in the details). Pete's in good shape for an old dude, but I don't want to see him frolicking about in the cooling tower, although it's beautifully shot and Rachel's with him. The tower painting is both boring and intriguing--I don't ever remember seeing anyone ever paint an electrical tower anywhere in this world. Do people really do this? It's a quirky film that will appeal to some, turn others off and not have too many people in between. Had I paid $10 to see it at a theater I might not have the same fondness, but it would still stick with me for a long time after words.

Among Giants is not bad for the various and sundry reasons listed elsewhere in reviews for this film. And to criticize Pete Postlethwaite and Rachel Griffiths for their physiques is pathetic and should not be included in any movie review. The one large failing of this film is the paper-thin plot and characterizations. Yes, we have an older man falling in love with a younger woman. Fine. But why? And why does this merit the making of a film? Give us motivations, explanations, personal stories. You don't get to know any of the characters in this film beyond the surface. The performances are fine ones, and the scene in the abandoned cooling towers is beautiful and joyous. But it isn't enough to save a film without adequate story-telling behind it.