Love it. It's a sweet and a feel good movie. Very romantic.It's been so long since I watched a new story like this one in the movie, it makes you feel calm and happy.The characters and the lines are so sweet and simple.the characters are simple but they're not actually simple, they're complicated people no one gets them, and they're okay with that.I'm so glad i got to see this movie. Love it. It's a sweet and a feel good movie. Very romantic. Love it. It's a sweet and a feel good movie. Very romantic. Love it. It's a sweet and a feel good movie. Very romantic.

The indie approach to love stories differs quite markedly from that of mainstream Hollywood. The Giant Mechanical Man fits comfortably into this tradition, its lack of grandeur adding to its charm, but at times it's a flick that feels a little too contrived to become something you'll want to revisit.The plot centres on a street performer (Chris Messina's Tim) and his struggles to fit in with the expectations of society at large, as well as to make ends meet. His lack of desire to take part in conventional culture defines the character and leads to a variety of problems in his relationships, largely due to drastically differing views on the world from those around him. His approach to life is fairly philosophical, believing that if he can brighten even one person's day on their way to work, it will make everything worthwhile. The character works well for the most part, but can come off as a stereotypical arty type in some of his rhetoric, which some may find a little grating.The other side of the narrative takes Jenna Fischer's Janice as its focus. She has little idea what she wants from life and has difficulty holding down the succession of menial jobs that she takes on to pay the rent. She is the archetypal daydreamer, her head in the clouds more frequently than on solid ground. Her awkwardness in social situations does a lot to make the character likable, the urge to will her to speak up for herself overwhelming.The balance between comedy and drama in the film is judged well. There's adequate humour to raise a smile on more than one occasion and the drama plays very successfully for the most part. However, the scenes intended to be the most intense sometimes don't work quite as well as they should, leaving some of the more pivotal moments feeling a little flat. The movie's charm does a lot to make up for this, but there are points at which it is slightly overcooked and what atmosphere there was is crushed under the weight of borderline sickly sweetness.The biggest problem here lies in the slightly ridiculous coincidences that lead to the two protagonists getting to know each other. The aim may perhaps have been to demonstrate how predestined to be together they really are, but there's an uncomfortably artificial feel that comes along with this and it detracts more than a little from the picture as a whole.

It fulfills everything that a romantic comedy wants to be. I.e., a sweet, cute, warm, encouraging, adorable, amusing, snuggle-worthy, young adult date (or post-breakup, or looking for someone) film. The plot setup is clear and you can see at least romantically where this is going within the first 5-10 minutes. Not a film to go to if you're looking for mystery or suspense or women screaming in fear with hands to their head.It is, however, a new take on a common story line, and the writer/director does an excellent job of creating parallels. There are only so many new takes you can get on young adult romances involving those misdirected or lost and confused, so it's worth seeing for that and a variety of subtle insights.As is befitting a giant mechanical age of program loops, it is easy to see how a giant mechanical man could have ended up writing this story as part of a biography.But I'm still disappointed Jenna's character didn't do something about the artificial zoo juice.

I like indie films about people, that are based upon dialogue and setting. It helps if they are not mainstream characters. So for me, this one was a gem.I am not familiar with this Chris Messina actor, but he nailed his role. Maybe he used a piece of himself to sculpt the character or maybe he just intuitively understood him. Either way, he was a joy to watch.I was worried that it was going to drift into the dangerous waters of mocking mainstream people. It didn't really, although there is one scene that bordered on that.I don't think these lost-soul characters were jealous of others or even resentful. That's what I loved. They realized that they were dancing to the beat of their own drummer.The male lead especially was for the most part resigned to his fate. Like another reviewer so adeptly pointed out: he was already doing what he wanted to do. The girl was not as comfortable with herself.Jenna Fischer is interesting, because she is mostly deadpan, in The Office and this movie, and she is almost hot in both too. If she was a bit hotter, you would not picture her as a loner.Topher Grace delivers his standard blend of underplayed sarcasm and underdog wit. I enjoyed him, and I think that someone who is not familiar with his routine, would enjoy him even more if this is their first time.Hats off to the writer Lee Kirk. The dialogue in the T.V. interview scene is excellent, as is the exchange when the ex girlfriend apologizes. Impressive wording and spot-on delivery.I don't think this film was trying to slam you over the head with a message that people are on a mindless merry-go-round. I think it was just showing you that there are some people out there who move at their own pace and want less out of life.This point was not brought up, but such people might find peace in Western Europe...or at least before immigration and bankruptcy changed it. If you're not ambitious and you're into art or long walks, Europe might work for you.I wouldn't want America to become like Europe, because the world needs America to be ambitious and morally focused. But I can see where quiet loners would fit better in Europe.