My Giant

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My Giant ★★ 1998 (PG)

Billy Crystal plays a short, annoying, Hollywood-type guy and Romanian-born NBA player Gheorghe Muresan plays a really tall Romanian guy, so you know there's not exactly an Olivier thing happening here. Crystal is the brutish showbiz agent Sammy, who accidently stumbles onto Muresan's Max. The gentle Max is at peace in his monastery; but Sammy, being an agent, quickly finds a way to make money off of him. Max is talked into a movie career so he can be reunited with his childhood crush Lillianna (Pacula). The odd couple schtick is milked until bone dry, and then the sentimentality floodgates open when it's discovered that Max has a serious medical condition. Warning: although presented as a family film, unless you want to recreate that whole “Why did Bambi's mom have to die?” scene (with you as the parent this time), you might want to reconsider renting this movie for small children. 103m/C VHS, DVD . Michael (Mike) Papajohn, Billy Crystal, Gheorghe Muresan, Kathleen Quinlan, Joanna Pacula, Rider Strong, Harold Gould, Doris Roberts, Philip Sterling, Heather Thomas, Zane Carney; Cameos: Steven Seagal; D: Michael Lehmann; W: David Seltzer; C: Michael Coulter; M: Marc Shaiman.