A quirky little comedy about what teenagers really go through.
- Who's going to like it: Anyone who likes a good, down-to-earth family dramadey.
Note: This is my review for Win Win from the Sundance Film Festival.
Win Win is an oddity. It’s a movie about teenagers who are, gasp, intelligent, thoughtful, polite, and better off than their adult counterparts. Teenagers are often written as either social misfits, drugged out losers, or pigeonholed into some clichéd clique. It’s always nice to see a movie that treats adolescents with respect. Perhaps, I’m just tired of the same old formulaic high school drama movies, or I still have the horrendous Twelve rattling around in my brain from last year’s fest, but watching Win Win gave me hope that filmmakers out there may continue to create thought-provoking, poignant adolescent characters.
Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is a lawyer who’s struggling to pay all his bills. He’s got his own practice, but the money isn’t exactly rolling in. He’s got a few clients he sees, a boiler that needs fixing, and absolutely no money to spare.
Mike’s client Leo Poplar is about to be declared incompetent by the state and forcefully put in a state care facility. In an act of desperation, Mike offers to become Leo’s guardian. Partly because he’s a good guy, but also because Mike is able to pocket a $1,500 a month commission from Leo’s estate if he takes care of him. Mike, thinking of his family and his law practice, soon sticks Leo in an old folks home so they can take care of him and he can keep the money without doing any of the work. It’s just one of those deals that you know is going to come back and bite him.
When Mike heads over to Leo’s house to shut off the water he finds a kid sitting on the front porch. His name is Kyle, and he’s played brilliantly by newcomer Alex Shaffer. Shaffer is already a young master of what a thoughtful, intelligent teenager should act like.
Sure, he’s got his problems, but Kyle is a deep-thinking, considerate soul who knows a lot more than he’s letting on. He’s escaped his druggie mother in Ohio and traveled to New Jersey to see his grandpa Leo. Kyle soon builds a relationship with Mike and his wife Jackie (Amy Ryan). Mike coaches the local high school wrestling team and they soon find out that Kyle is basically a wrestling prodigy.
The true treat here really is Shaffer’s performance. Yes, Giamatti is good as always, and Amy Ryan definitely has some great moments, but Shaffer steals the show. He rips it out from under the big name stars like a wrestler hooking his opponent’s ankle. He’s an enigma up on screen, talking in a low dulcet tone. Even though he acts aloof like most teenagers, it’s easy to tell that there’s a lot brewing just under the surface. He’s standoffish and distant, but also infinitely likable.
I know that Giamatti’s name is up there big and bold on the marquee. He’s the person drawing everyone to this movie, but Shaffer is the one keeping them interested. It’s not that Giamatti is bad; it’s just that Shaffer is that good. You know how it’s all going to end. Most of the movie is pretty predictable, but Alex Shaffer – like Jennifer Lawrence of last year’s festival – has arrived, and you won’t want to miss it.
(4 out of 5)
| Comments
