“Where’s Daddy?”
“He’s running”
“From what?”
Family dynamics are challenged in the drama of Win Win, its comedy subtle and dry. The leading man being lost in his own chaos, whilst also seeing a solution within it – a wrestling champion.
A small-town lawyer with little to almost no cases, Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is running from many things in his life; from a tree that threatens to fall on his house, a problematic toilet, to a boiler in his office which seems to be on a countdown to explosion – much like Mike’s health. Faced with bankruptcy, and with an endless list of concerns, Mike’s having the added joy of panic attacks as he sits in his world of denial and self-disgust. Even his beloved wrestling team, of which he’s the coach, has become a ruin of what it once was. But when faced with the opportunity of cheating the system of care for an elderly client and thereby retaining a large monthly commission, Mike sees a solution to his problems. Then again he didn’t count on the client’s Grandson; Kyle Timmons (Alex Shaffer) dropping in out of the blue and having nowhere to go. But in his sudden appearance, Mike sees another opportunity – for the boy’s a great wrestler.
However, like many things that come into Mike’s life, Kyle is broken with years of neglect – and in this the undertones of Win Win are made abundantly apparent; everything here needs work and repair. Win Win is a comedy drama that diverts from the typical tale of a youth looking to be fixed with the saviour being anything but perfect.
Paul Giamatti is brilliant in playing Mike, emitting a strong sense of fear at hitting the inevitable rock bottom, to an all-consuming worry and guilt of his actions. You can’t feel angry at Mike for what he’s done, but equally the film doesn’t let you feel a full sense of sympathy for his situation, though you at least understand it. The rest of the cast are great in the characters they play, but its Giamatti who stands out the most, each of his relationships realistic and convincingly complex, especially with Kyle, who’s portrayed with a raw honesty by Alex Shaffer. His character’s past never fully divulged, but strongly suggested at, with Shaffer softly transmitting the character’s feelings of anger, loss and a fundamental need to be found.
Win Win isn’t a fast burner and its narrative is simple, maybe even predictable? In parts, yes. But there are some brilliant displays and subtle hints of an everyday turmoil that lies just below the surface, its resonance all too real for many, and with the ever-increasing cries of Mike’s boiler there’s a strong sense of for whom the bell tolls. Avoiding the trappings of a sickly-sweet mentality, expected in the genre of a troubled teenager meets troubled adult, for the characters of Win Win aren’t perfect, but the ending is as close as it will get for them, and one that carries a stronger message of sacrifice. Its enjoyability never lessening from the start.
Director & Writer: Tom McCarthy
Other notable works:
- Obi-Wan Kenobi 2022
- The Loudest Voice 2019
- Christopher Robin 2018
- 13 Reasons Why 2017-2020
- Spotlight 2015
- Up 2009
- The Visitor 2007
- The Station Agent 2003
Writer: Joe Tiboni
