Win Win (B or 3/4 stars)
'Win Win' (written & directed by Thomas McCarthy, The Station Agent, The Visitor) opens with a man jogging down a trail for his morning exercise. He is Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti); family man, elder-care lawyer, & coach of his New Jersey town's high school wrestling team. How good is the team, you may wonder? Deplorable. His job as a lawyer? Not much better. And his bills? Piling up. Mike keeps his financial woes a secret from his wife, Jackie (a great Amy Ryan), & their 2 young daughters, but the burdens are really getting to him. During a court proceeding one day, Mike makes an ethical turn with a senile client (Burt Young) -- he'll become the old man's legal guardian and get paid $1,500 for keeping an eye on him.
But Mike finds a roadblock in the form of his elderly client's grandson, a troubled teen named Kyle (Alex Shaffer) who arrives out of the blue & stakes his place in Mike's circle of family & friends - who include his co-wrestling coach Vigman (Jeffrey Tambor) & the eccentric Terry (Bobby Cannavale). Problems arise when Kyle's estranged mother (Melanie Lynskey) shows up looking for her son & the $1,500 that Mike is getting paid to watch her father for. Initially, Mike would have wanted Kyle's mom to take him away with her. But he grows fond of the kid, & discovers that he is a gifted wrestler who can help improve the team he coaches. So, really, who are the good guys & who are the bad guys? Mike is getting paid to watch the old man & is reaping benefits from Kyle's wrestling talents. But Kyle's neglectful mother seems to only want her father's $$. The Flaherty's have taken a genuine liking to Kyle, and vice-versa. Ethical questions abound.
Win Win's screenplay is its strongest component. For one, it's pretty original -- when's the last time you saw a family dramedy involving high school wrestling & elder-care lawyer? Also, right off the bat, I chuckled at the line where the Giamatti character's daughter asks 'what is daddy running from' {haha}. And speaking of Giamatti, though he is a gifted natural comedian-actor, the script never laughs at Mike's trials & tribulations. The humorous moments are authentic; as are the serious ones. I also like that though the film is made on a small budget, that doesn't mean it must be quirky, unusual, or allegorical.
Paul Giamatti gives Mike a soft center. This is good because he's not always making the wisest decisions. Mike may be doing the 'wrong' things, but his actions are neither brainless, nor mean-spirited; especially towards Kyle. Though he's using Kyle (so to speak), he bonds with him, genuinely likes him, & you can believe in how the film ends. Speaking of Kyle, newcomer Alex Shaffer (not an actor, but a wrestling pro from N.J.) demonstrates a real screen presence. Reminding me of a young Sean Penn, I found the odd bleach blonde look & zoned-out way about him to be strangely appealing. And though he may be zoned-out, by the end of the film (with matters concerning his mom), you see his potent pent-up emotion emerge.
'Win Win' is a movie where none of its characters are caricatures. None of the plot incidents are extraneous. None of the laughs or tears feel forced. And all of the characters are flawed in one way or another. Writer/director Thomas McCarthy nails the human connections that we all experience (good, bad, & in-between). I guess that is the reason for the film's title, 'Win Win'. Though they go through some stumbling blocks, the tricky ethical issues surrounding Mike Flaherty end up in a Win Win situation for him, his family, & Kyle. This is what I'd call an agreeable movie. But what makes it stand-out is its ability to be tender without being sentimental, & it shows those well-intentioned, but flawed middle-class Americans in a realistic light.
But Mike finds a roadblock in the form of his elderly client's grandson, a troubled teen named Kyle (Alex Shaffer) who arrives out of the blue & stakes his place in Mike's circle of family & friends - who include his co-wrestling coach Vigman (Jeffrey Tambor) & the eccentric Terry (Bobby Cannavale). Problems arise when Kyle's estranged mother (Melanie Lynskey) shows up looking for her son & the $1,500 that Mike is getting paid to watch her father for. Initially, Mike would have wanted Kyle's mom to take him away with her. But he grows fond of the kid, & discovers that he is a gifted wrestler who can help improve the team he coaches. So, really, who are the good guys & who are the bad guys? Mike is getting paid to watch the old man & is reaping benefits from Kyle's wrestling talents. But Kyle's neglectful mother seems to only want her father's $$. The Flaherty's have taken a genuine liking to Kyle, and vice-versa. Ethical questions abound.
Win Win's screenplay is its strongest component. For one, it's pretty original -- when's the last time you saw a family dramedy involving high school wrestling & elder-care lawyer? Also, right off the bat, I chuckled at the line where the Giamatti character's daughter asks 'what is daddy running from' {haha}. And speaking of Giamatti, though he is a gifted natural comedian-actor, the script never laughs at Mike's trials & tribulations. The humorous moments are authentic; as are the serious ones. I also like that though the film is made on a small budget, that doesn't mean it must be quirky, unusual, or allegorical.
Paul Giamatti gives Mike a soft center. This is good because he's not always making the wisest decisions. Mike may be doing the 'wrong' things, but his actions are neither brainless, nor mean-spirited; especially towards Kyle. Though he's using Kyle (so to speak), he bonds with him, genuinely likes him, & you can believe in how the film ends. Speaking of Kyle, newcomer Alex Shaffer (not an actor, but a wrestling pro from N.J.) demonstrates a real screen presence. Reminding me of a young Sean Penn, I found the odd bleach blonde look & zoned-out way about him to be strangely appealing. And though he may be zoned-out, by the end of the film (with matters concerning his mom), you see his potent pent-up emotion emerge.
'Win Win' is a movie where none of its characters are caricatures. None of the plot incidents are extraneous. None of the laughs or tears feel forced. And all of the characters are flawed in one way or another. Writer/director Thomas McCarthy nails the human connections that we all experience (good, bad, & in-between). I guess that is the reason for the film's title, 'Win Win'. Though they go through some stumbling blocks, the tricky ethical issues surrounding Mike Flaherty end up in a Win Win situation for him, his family, & Kyle. This is what I'd call an agreeable movie. But what makes it stand-out is its ability to be tender without being sentimental, & it shows those well-intentioned, but flawed middle-class Americans in a realistic light.