Win Win (McCarthy, 2011)

[kaytee]

Actor-Director Thomas McCarthy has directed 3 movies and all 3 have been portrayals of very real everyday people. After Station Agent and The Visitor he gives us Win Win which is in a similar mold of its predecessors. Story of real people having real problems and solutions to them.

Paul Giamatti headlines the star cast with an honest performance of a struggling lawyer in town that is filled with old people or poor people. He sees and opportunity to make some money and grabs it with thinking of the consequences. Helping him along the way is Bobby Cannavale who is a regular in McCarthy films and he shines in every scene he is in. Newcomer Alex Shaffer who is a professional wrestler in school and a first time actor managed to bring some life in a character of a troubled teen looking for the right path in life.

A nice light watch with is not to taxing on the brain and gives you a decent life lesson.

4/5

[animatedude]

out of all the crap released this year so far, this is the only one i'm looking forward to...i ordered the DVD the other day.

[ayaa1977]

This is an excellent film, very engaging, and unlike McCarthy's previous film The Visitor filled with delightful comedy. I don't mean to diss that film becuae I thought if was terrific, but that one was bleak and frustrating. This one is deals with serious problems like child neglict and abuse, dementia, law malpractice, but it is wrapped in a lighter shell which made the film a great watch.

It is helped with great performances all over. Paul Gimatti as the lead a decent man and a lawyer who is so stressed out from financial troubles that he chose to commit a dishonorable act, a small lie, becuae he needed a lifeline and he thought he won't get caught, and we know how this always end in film. Thankfully McCarthy is such an excellent writer that he doesn't let this snowball into a very big thing and handle it is a logical if anti climactic manner. The other great performances comes from Amy Ryan who is such a terrific actress who I wish we can see more often on screen because she is always great. In Gone Baby Gone she was amazing, and in HBO's In Treatment she was mesmerizing. I haven't followed her arc in The Office but everyone say she was just as good as Steve Carell and I truly believe it. Also the kid who plays Kyle Alex Shaffer is so natural and really the center of the film. The quality of his performance is the reason why the film doesn't fall apart, because despite the great writing and performances from the other actors, if the heart of the film didn't work or if his performance was bad that it distract the film won't be so appealing. It helps that he is a wrestling champion which made his wrestling scenes so thrilling to watch. It also helped giving us some of the best comedic moments of the film from Bobby Cannavale fanboy cheering which was verging on pedophilia.  I really loved the film and I would have it in my top ten of last year had I seen it then, it is just that good.

My Rating: Highly Recommended

[animatedude]

the use of the green and yellow on the posters make this movie sound so cool but it was just alright...i loved the blonde kid though, it's his first role but he is a professional wrestler...