FILM: WIN WIN – SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL SERIES
Review By Duncan McLeod
Director: Tom McCarthy
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Melanie Lynskey, Jeffrey Tambor, Bobby Cannavale
Synopsis: Tom McCarthy, acclaimed writer/ director of THE VISITOR and THE STATION AGENT, once again explores the depths and nuances of human relationships in his new film about the allegiances and bonds between unlikely characters. Disheartened attorney Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti), who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach, stumbles across a star athlete through some questionable business dealings while trying to support his family. Just as it looks like he will get a double payday, the boy’s mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything. McCarthy’s deft touch with balancing drama and comedy, broken hearts and poignant humanity is at play in WIN WIN.
Review: The words “Fox Searchlight” and “indie awesome” generally go together. WIN WIN is no exception. Whilst this film takes a while to warm up, it develops into a well humoured black comedy that says as much about family dynamics as it does about winning and losing.
Paul Giamatti is generally excellent. He is not handsome enough to get the commercial roles he deserves, so he is oft relegated to indie films like this, playing the average Joe, with great finesse. His character here is a lawyer who takes advantage of a client to save his business and his family. His passion is wrestling. More specifically coaching it. Whilst he was OK at it in school, he prefers to live vicariously though his team. The shame about all that is, his team is consistently losing their matches. Giamatti plays Mike with great conviction. His expressive face is engulfed with sadness and you can almost see the desperation seeping from his pores. Giamatti is credible as a father, however this film sees him at work more as a father figure. His character’s submissive behavior is oddly engaging and although he is central to the film, Mike seems more happy to have the plot progress without him than to actually drive it.
He meets Kyle; a dropkick, car thieving rebel. They come together in unusual circumstances but they both need each other. Mike discovers that Kyle used to wrestle. He nurtures this boy and coerces him into helping out his team and hopefully making winners out of them. The relationship between Kyle (Alex Shaffer) and Mike is endearing. They have a great deadpan chemistry that makes for some dry humour and laugh out loud one liners.
Mike’s more gregarious friend Terry is played by Bobby Cannavale. Mike and Terry are an odd pairing, and Terry’s enthusiasm for Kyle’s wrestling abilities is a whole new avenue of humor for this piece. Cannavale is a bit player on TV and film. This is a larger than usual role for him and he suits it well. While Terry is overbearing, Cannavale makes it his own and manages to inject some light and shade into the role.
Jeffry Tambor and Amy Ryan are both great in their supporting roles. Both are afforded a couple of great lines though neither of them really gets their moment to shine.
There are obvious comparisons between this film and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE both in the studio behind it, the ‘loser makes good’ premise and even down to the similarities in casting. This is very much in the same vein of said film. There is one major difference though. Whilst SUNSHINE was very much child’s play this is certainly a film for adults. There are teen angst issues and drug, and abandonment themes that play into the hands of adults well.
Writer director Thomas McCarthy has delivered an oddball gem of a comedy that is not so much a sequel to SUNSHINE, moreover an alternate reality. Unlike so much Hollywood fare, this stands on its own two feet without call for a sequel and delivers a smack down of entertainment.
