Release Date: 3/18/11 (Limited)
Win Win, written and directed by New Jersey native Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, The Visitor), is an indie dramedy from Fox Searchlight, the studio who brought you Little Miss Sunshine and The Wrestler, to name a few. With Win Win they might just have another success on their hands. This film is absolutely outstanding. It is genuinely hilarious while at the same time being emotionally stirring. Director Tom McCarthy is a master of taking a simple storyline and crafting it into an entertaining piece of indie cinema, and with the near perfect execution from his cast, he renders something really special here. He truly is one of the most underrated actor/directors in the industry. Win Win may not be in for the long haul in terms of Oscars, but it surely is the best film to come out of 2011 so far.
The story follows stressed-out attorney Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti), who doubles as a high school wrestling coach, who tries to support his family through some questionable business dealings with his client Leo Poplar (Burt Young) who is in the early stages of dementia. Mike then stumbles upon Leo’s runaway grandson Kyle Timmons (Alex Shaffer) who also happens to be a superstar wrestler. With the advice of his recently divorced friend Terry Delfino (Bobby Cannavale), he puts Kyle on the wrestling team and everything’s going great, until the boy’s mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to ruin everything.
Paul Giamatti is a fine actor with a career full of critically acclaimed performances and with this role he further defines himself as one of the most versatile actors of his generation. He has always been a favorite of mine and as Mike Flaherty he wonderfully shows off a full range of emotions, just hearing him scream “Whatever the fuck it takes” from the sideline as he coaches, gives me chills. Right next to Giamatti in this film is Amy Ryan who plays his loving wife Jackie Flaherty and the mother of their two children. She plays the concerned mother to perfection here while never being to over the top. Add another solid performance to her constantly growing resume. Bobby Cannavale plays Flaherty’s best friend who gets a man crush on the young wrestler, thinking he is so cool. Cannavale and the always hilarious Jeffery Tambor are the main source of comic relief in this film and there is a ton of it. Almost every line that comes out of their mouths is freaking hysterical. I was surprised at how laugh out loud funny this movie really is. Burt Young, aka Paulie from the Rocky films, is also solid as the sweet grandpa with dementia, having one emotional scene that really stands out. Then there is Alex Shaffer in his acting debut. He really is a state champ wrestler which showed in his wrestling scenes, but he also puts in a fantastic performance that gives you an idea about just how talented he is.
McCarthy’s style is not flashy. He stays away from the Hollywoodized forms of filmmaking to create truly honest characters in realistic worlds. He makes The Blind Side look like a cast of cartoon characters. This is how you make a dramedy without being sappy or cliché. Filmmakers should take notes because this is definitely the most effective way to move and entertain an audience when telling a story. The script, which he also wrote, is finely tuned with great character development and a perfect blending of comedy and drama, something for everyone. The closing credits original song by The National is also a nice touch and a perfect way to close out a fine film.
Win Win is officially the first MADE movie of the 2011, I can’t recommend it enough. Go see this film when it hits theaters in your area, you’ll either come out feeling really good or be as deeply affected as I was, either way it’s a Win Win situation.
IMDB: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Moviewiseguys: 8.5/10
