Main Cast: Billy Crystal, Kathleen Quinlan, Gheorghe Muresan, Joanna Pacula, Zane Carney
Release Year: 1998
Country: US
Run Time: 103 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Third-rate talent agent Sammy Kanin (Billy Crystal) is more devoted to his career than his wife Serena (Kathleen Quinlan) and son Nick (Zane Carney), so instead of going to Nick's birthday party, he chooses to travel to Romania where his teen client Justin Allen (Rider Strong) is acting in a period adventure movie. When Sammy's auto swerves off the road, he wakes up in a monastery, having been removed from the wreckage by sensitive, Shakespeare-quoting, 7'7"-tall giant, Max (pro basketball player Gheorghe Muresan), a ward of the monks who works as a monastery caretaker. Sammy sees Max as his ticket to the top, gets him a warrior role in the adventure movie, and takes him back to the U.S. where Max hopes to win back a long-ago girlfriend Lillianna (Joanna Pacula), living in Gallup, New Mexico. Sammy and Max head for Vegas, where actor Steven Seagal (as himself) is shooting a film with a villain role perfect for Max. When Sammy contacts Lillianna, she expresses disinterest in Max, forcing Sammy to seek a solution that can bring the two together. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Review
It's not often that an NBA basketball player, an acting novice chosen entirely for his gargantuan size, can be called the best thing in a movie. But Gheorghe Muresan, the 7'7" Romanian wonder, brings a real sweetness to the title character in My Giant, a manipulative film that both condemns and commits the sin of crassly making a buck on a freakish-looking human being. The film seems to have been conceived solely to play off the size incongruities between star Billy Crystal and Muresan, much like Ivan Reitman's Twins did with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. But even if the image of Muresan wedged into Crystal's convertible is a tad amusing, it's not sufficient material for a film. The behind-the-scenes humor of the world of agents is pretty low grade, although Steven Segal spoofs himself wickedly, coming off as a truly good sport. Crystal's family issues and Muresan's pursuit of an unattainable girl from his youth both are pretty sappy, but Muresan's childlike optimism does shine through, providing the movie with its few moments of soul. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Tom Reta - Art Director, Lynne Boyarsky - Associate Producer, Pam Dixon - Casting, Rita Ryack - Costume Designer, Mike Topoozian - First Assistant Director, Michael Lehmann - Director, Steve Semel - Editor, Peter Schindler - Executive Producer, Marc Shaiman - Composer (Music Score), Jackson de Govia - Production Designer, Michael Coulter - Cinematographer, Billy Crystal - Producer, Kathe Klopp - Set Designer, Jeff Wexler - Sound/Sound Designer, Don Coufal - Sound/Sound Designer, Billy Crystal - Screen Story, David Seltzer - Screen Story, David Seltzer - Screenwriter
My Giant is a 1998 comedy drama film starring Billy Crystal and NBA player Gheorghe Muresan in his only film appearance. Crystal also co-wrote the story. It centers on the adventures of a huckster named Sammy (played by Crystal) who befriends an enormous Romanian monk named Max (Muresan). The story was inspired by professional wrestler André the Giant, whom Crystal had met during the filming of The Princess Bride. Steven Seagal appeared as himself.
In an episode of the TV-series Friends; Joey watches My Giant with a bridesmaid. Later in the episode Joey talks to Chandler about his acting skills compared to "the giant"'s.
