Director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, The Visitor) has turned his career as an actor in to a brilliant directing gig. He tells quirky stories with great emotion and passion, and lets the performances in his films carry it home. He let the wonderful Richard Jenkins take charge in The Visitor (which earned Jenkins an Oscar nomination) and in Win Win, Paul Giamatti becomes that guy and plays a husband and father who wants to do the right thing, but does the exact opposite. McCarthy knows how to capture the simple and the complex, the comedy and the tragedy of being a person living in this world.
Mike Flaherty (Giamatti) is a lawyer and a high school wrestling coach on the side and neither one is really working out for him. His legal practice is barely staying afloat and the wrestling team is terrible. But Mike comes up with an idea on how to make some extra money. He becomes the guardian for one of his elderly clients in a last desperate attempt to make ends meet. While he thinks he has everything under control, the client’s grandson shows up on his porch and turns Mike’s world upside down.
Kyle (Alex Shaffer) ran away from home to be with his grandfather, and while Mike and his family have no idea what to do with him, he winds up staying with them. And Kyle just happens to be pretty good at wrestling as well. As Kyle begins to start a new life and Mike’s luck begins to change, Kyle’s mother, who just left rehab and does not have a penny to her name, returns to take him back home to the life he tried to escape and leave with some extra cash in her pocket.
Giamatti plays a guy who has the best of intentions but feels he has been left with no other option. He thinks he has a grip on the situation and doesn’t tell his family, and everything ends up catching up with him by the end. And Giamatti is terrific as a man who feels the stresses of life and trying to provide for his wife and kids. He is struggling but doesn’t want to admit or show it. His performance is pitch-perfect. Whether you agree with his character’s decisions or not, Giamatti is not afraid to show Mike’s flaws and pay the consequences for them.
Amy Ryan plays Mike’s wife and she keeps everything grounded and in sight. She holds people accountable, including Mike, Kyle and his mother. She begins to care for Kyle and starts to fight for him as if he is one of her own. She is a tough woman, but she has a heart of gold. And Shaffer is fantastic as Kyle. He is a troubled teen who wants to start over, but it’s not as easy as just running away from them. But Bobby Cannavale plays Mike’s best friend Terry and he steals every scene he is in. The entire film is funny, but Cannavale plays his character up to the fullest. Terry is hilarious and ridiculous, but he just wants to help.
Win Win is gratifying in every way a film can be. It has flawed, unpredictable, and realistic characters. It is funny when it should be and treats every moving scene with great care and tenderness. McCarthy knew how this story should go and it depicts a man’s struggles, a lost childhood, and a caring, unique family environment with humor and care. You can’t go wrong with a Win Win.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
