Comedy-drama from the director of The Visitor and The Station Agent, about a dodgy, down on his luck attorney (Paul Giamatti) who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach in order to support his family. Also stars Melanie Lynskey (Heavenly Creatures), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone) and Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development).
When the runaway grandson of one of Mike's (Giamatti) elderly clients arrives in town, Flaherty takes him under his wing and discovers the boy has the potential in the wrestling department. Both their lives start to look up, until the boy's mother (Lynskey) shows up, fresh out of rehab, flat broke and threatening to derail everything.
I did not think that it would get this complicated,” huffs failing lawyer/high school wrestling coach Paul Giamatti at the climax of Thomas (The Station Agent) McCarthy’s small-town drama. Really? Because the rest of us could see it coming a mile off.
Sick of doing good deeds for people for so little return – just like a real lawyer, then – Giamatti takes the extraordinary step of putting an Alzheimer’s-afflicted client (Burt Young, the trainer in Rocky, enjoying a spot of stunt casting) in a nursing home and creaming off the care fee for himself. Then Young’s grandson (Shaffer, an expert wrestler) arrives on Giamatti’s doorstep, and complicated isn’t too far behind.
Though Giamatti’s performance is as careful and convincing as ever, and Shaffer makes a realistic (if not particularly appealing) charge, the characters make such unlikely choices it’s hard to care what happens to them. The wrestling metaphors don’t help much either: it’s a sport about inertia, about being trapped under the weight of opposing forces – something Giamatti knows all too well.
To paraphrase Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk, hardly a moralist himself: whatever anyone says, what they end up doing is what they wanted to all along. Apply this to Giamatti and it’s hard to credit – let alone forgive – his choices, complicated or otherwise. The resulting slog is exactly the combination of downbeat and unlikely that gives indie flicks a bad name.
By Matt Glasby, Flicks.co.nz
A warm, wonderful comedy drama with a smart written script and emotional intelligent acting. Don't miss it!
I can't help but feel that the official Flicks review is a bit cynical about this film. While the plot structure may not be completely original, I don't think the films suffers at all from this! It made for a satisfying watch, to see all the events unfold - and what I really liked about this film was the way I was compelled to care about the characters. I truly did care what happened to them! Lovely film, light and satisfying.
Totally dug this film! If you haven't seen you should.
I'm not too bothered by Giamatti's morally suspect choices or the characters' choices in general as I figured that was the point. And as far as forecastable set ups and pay offs go, well, those things are fine when there's other stuff going. And in this movie there's plenty: great performances, and an interesting and convincing world. Overall it moves at a really nice pace.
This film will be in most top tens of the year. The whole cast are pitch perfect in this moving and very funny film. Just perfect.
Its unfussy realism makes every funny moment and painful setback seem well-earned and believable.
I'm happy I saw "Win Win." It would have been possible to be happier.
Funny, agreeable and thoroughly enjoyable, if a little bit too neat and fortuitous in sorting out its entangled strands.
This unassuming but quietly winning comedy-drama delivers on the promise of its title.
Win Win is hard to pin to the mat but pure pleasure to experience.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 15th Sep 2011.
Release date: September 15th 2011.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
