Win Win: Movie Review
Win Win
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Melanie
Lynskey, Jeffrey Tambor
Director: Thomas McCarthy
Paul Giamatti once again dons his slightly sadsack look for this indie quirky
piece about a lawyer Mike Flaherty whose small business is facing a bit of a
financial struggle.
Flaherty also moonlights as the coach of a small high school wrestling team -
and they're struggling as well.
So, when he sees a cash lifeline from an elderly client, he decides to cash
in and becomes the oldster's guardian.
However, that backfires when the grandson Kyle Timmons (Alex Shaffer) shows
up and Flaherty's family takes him in. And when Mike realises Kyle can wrestle,
suddenly it's all looking up.
But the fragile world is shaken up when Kyle's mum (our very own Melanie
Lynskey) shows up, straight out of rehab...
Win Win is the definition of indie. It's from the director of The Visitor and
The Station Agent and is once again another powerhouse performance from Paul
Giamatti who seems to excel (and is in danger of being typecast) in these world
weary character roles.
It's also wryly funny and heartfelt with great performances from Lynskey, who
manages to turn a relatively loathsome character into something a little more
nuanced and plausible - and Shaffer in particular who manages to get the teenage
awkwardness down to an art form. He is a real discovery of a first time
actor.
It's the ensemble which works well - Giamatti and Ryan impress with their
humorously laconic relationship; Tambor and Cannavale are funny as the assistant
coaches and as the house of cards crumbles that Flaherty's created, McCarthy
does a good job of handling the situation rather than reducing it to mush.
There's a little case of the film sagging somewhat after an hour or so -but
when they throw in a frankly hilarious wrestling scene, you're prepared to
forgive it.
All in all, Win Win is a breath of fresh air and a quality indie with an
impressive cast.
At Darren's World of Entertainment - a movie, DVD and game review blog. The latest movie and DVD reviews - plus game reviews as well. And cool stuff thrown in when I see it.
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