My Giant
Encyclopedia
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.
named Sammy (played by Crystal) travels to Romania on business. After a disappointment, he crashes his car and is rescued while unconscious by an enormous Romanian man named Max (Muresan), close to 8 feet tall.
Once he wakes up and interacts with Max, he sees potential stardom in him. Sammy attempts to broker his introduction into the movies. In doing so he exploits Max's desire to visit a long-lost paramour, Lilliana, in Gallup, New Mexico
. First, Max obtains the role of a villain in a movie, but he is so drunk that he vomits on the protagonist. However, the scene is included in the movie.
One day, Sammy talks to Steven Seagal about including Max as a villain in one of his movies, convincing him that he needs a different kind of villain. At first Seagal rejects him because there was another actor who would take that role, but he changes his opinion after listening an extract of a
Shakesperian play done by Max.
Suddenly, after some medical exams, Max is diagnosed with heart disease, which is incurable by a transplant because Max's heart is so big, so Sammy decides to find Lilliana, until he finally finds her while she was talking to her friends, so he tries to convince her to meet Max again, but she rejects the invitation negligibly. Then, Sammy convinces his wife to take the role of Lilliana and after some words, Max asks her for a kiss.
Sammy eventually decides to return Max home to Romania, he refuses to come back but finally he enters the house and meet his parents again, after they left them when he was born. Sammy ends up watching Max's first filmed scene in a cinema with his family.
, whom Crystal had met during the filming of The Princess Bride
. Steven Seagal
appeared as himself.
, Chandler
, who is hiding Monica in his suite, uses watching My Giant as an excuse to try and stop Joey
from using the hotel room to sleep with a bridesmaid, only to discover that Joey loves the movie and wants to come into the room to watch it. Later in the episode. Joey
talks to Chandler
about his acting skills compared to the giant's.
In the episode You May Now Kiss the... Uh... Guy Who Receives of Family Guy
, Lois Griffin visits a priest to help her overcome her fear of gay marriage. After watching a film about homosexuals, the priest suggest they watch My Giant. Lois says "Oh, God no".
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
, and NBA player Gheorghe Muresan
Gheorghe Muresan
Gheorghe Dumitru Mureşan, , also known as Ghiţă or George, is a retired Romanian professional basketball player. At 7 ft 7 in , he is one of the tallest players in NBA history, along with Sudanese player Manute Bol, who was also 7 ft 7 in. Both Mureşan's parents are of average size, and,...
in his only film appearance. Crystal also co-wrote the story.
Synopsis
A hucksterHuckster
A huckster is a seller of small articles, who tricks others into buying cheap imitation products and then bargains them as if they were the real thing...
named Sammy (played by Crystal) travels to Romania on business. After a disappointment, he crashes his car and is rescued while unconscious by an enormous Romanian man named Max (Muresan), close to 8 feet tall.
Once he wakes up and interacts with Max, he sees potential stardom in him. Sammy attempts to broker his introduction into the movies. In doing so he exploits Max's desire to visit a long-lost paramour, Lilliana, in Gallup, New Mexico
Gallup, New Mexico
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 20,209 people, 6,810 households, and 4,869 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,513.7 people per square mile...
. First, Max obtains the role of a villain in a movie, but he is so drunk that he vomits on the protagonist. However, the scene is included in the movie.
One day, Sammy talks to Steven Seagal about including Max as a villain in one of his movies, convincing him that he needs a different kind of villain. At first Seagal rejects him because there was another actor who would take that role, but he changes his opinion after listening an extract of a
Shakesperian play done by Max.
Suddenly, after some medical exams, Max is diagnosed with heart disease, which is incurable by a transplant because Max's heart is so big, so Sammy decides to find Lilliana, until he finally finds her while she was talking to her friends, so he tries to convince her to meet Max again, but she rejects the invitation negligibly. Then, Sammy convinces his wife to take the role of Lilliana and after some words, Max asks her for a kiss.
Sammy eventually decides to return Max home to Romania, he refuses to come back but finally he enters the house and meet his parents again, after they left them when he was born. Sammy ends up watching Max's first filmed scene in a cinema with his family.
Background
The story was inspired by professional wrestler André the GiantAndré the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
, whom Crystal had met during the filming of The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride (film)
The Princess Bride is a 1987 American film based on the 1973 novel of the same name by William Goldman, combining comedy, adventure, romance, and fantasy. The film was directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by Goldman...
. Steven Seagal
Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
appeared as himself.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Billy Crystal Billy Crystal William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes... |
Sammy Kamin |
| Gheorghe Muresan Gheorghe Muresan Gheorghe Dumitru Mureşan, , also known as Ghiţă or George, is a retired Romanian professional basketball player. At 7 ft 7 in , he is one of the tallest players in NBA history, along with Sudanese player Manute Bol, who was also 7 ft 7 in. Both Mureşan's parents are of average size, and,... |
Maximus Zamfirescu |
| Kathleen Quinlan Kathleen Quinlan Kathleen Denise Quinlan is an Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated American actress, mostly seen on television and in motion pictures.-Personal life:... |
Serena Kamin |
| Joanna Pacuła | Liliana Rotaru |
| Zane Carney | Nick Kamin |
| Dan Castellaneta Dan Castellaneta Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,... |
Partlow |
Trivia
In an episode of the TV series FriendsFriends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, Chandler
Chandler Bing
Chandler Muriel Bing is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom Friends, portrayed by Matthew Perry.-Background:Chandler Muriel Bing was born on April 8, 1968, the son of an erotic novelist mother and a cross-dressing Las Vegas star and is of Scottish ancestry. Chandler was Ross...
, who is hiding Monica in his suite, uses watching My Giant as an excuse to try and stop Joey
Joey Tribbiani
Joseph Francis "Joey" Tribbiani, Jr. is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom Friends and the title character in the spin-off, Joey , portrayed by Matt LeBlanc....
from using the hotel room to sleep with a bridesmaid, only to discover that Joey loves the movie and wants to come into the room to watch it. Later in the episode. Joey
Joey Tribbiani
Joseph Francis "Joey" Tribbiani, Jr. is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom Friends and the title character in the spin-off, Joey , portrayed by Matt LeBlanc....
talks to Chandler
Chandler Bing
Chandler Muriel Bing is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom Friends, portrayed by Matthew Perry.-Background:Chandler Muriel Bing was born on April 8, 1968, the son of an erotic novelist mother and a cross-dressing Las Vegas star and is of Scottish ancestry. Chandler was Ross...
about his acting skills compared to the giant's.
In the episode You May Now Kiss the... Uh... Guy Who Receives of Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, Lois Griffin visits a priest to help her overcome her fear of gay marriage. After watching a film about homosexuals, the priest suggest they watch My Giant. Lois says "Oh, God no".