WIN WIN - REVIEW


Indie movie king Paul Giamatti stars as a desperate attorney/wrestling coach who decides to bend the law in order to keep himself afloat financially. Unfortunately with the unexpected arrival of a runaway kid at his doorstep, things soon get more complicated than he had originally anticipated.

Giamatti can do that type of role in his sleep but somehow he keeps his performances fresh and fun everytime: this one's thankfully no exception and he elevates what could have easily felt as a slight, studenty-style little flick into something more prominent and heartfelt.

Films like this often fall into the trap of wanting to be too quirky or cool and ending up feeling forced (Juno?) thankfully Win Win is grounded enough that it never feels the need to overcompensate for anything. The premise follows a flawed but well-meaning character through a little journey of self-work while tricking you into thinking this is nothing but a wrestling movie (it's really not) in order to bring a satisfyingly bittersweet, if perhaps expected, ending.

Giamatti is given fine support by veteran comedy genius Jeffrey (hey noooow!) Tambor and a scene-stealing Bobby Cannavale and although some of the acting here and there by others feels a tad wooden this never becomes too noticeable or off-putting in any way.

Overall, it is frankly refreshing to see a well-made little indie film like
 this one in-between bombastic superhero epics. Lets just say this is a fair bit more substantial in terms of wit and content than anything The Green Lantern will likely offer.

Ooh, look at me! My balls are CGI!

Um...yay?

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