The Case for a Couple of Wins

You know, after a string of documentaries, superhero flicks, and intense dramae, I had almost forgot what pleasure a straight forward, low key film can provide. 

I am not quite sure what I was expecting from Win Win, starring the hang dog face of lovable quasi loser Paul Giamatti, but what I got was a film that made me smile and kept me entertained despite the chronic plastic bag rustling of the near moronic duo seated behind me.  It was evident from the fairly small crowd at the cinema that this film was fairly low down on most people’s list of films to see, and I can’t say that it would really appeal to a lot of audiences, but I was in just the right mood to lap it all up.

The story is fairly straight forward: struggling guy takes in a wayward youth who turns out to have a talent in one area of the man’s life (in this case, High School wrestling; strange sport that) through which the youth transforms the life of both the man and his family.  Yeah, nothing much new under that sun, though New Providence comes across as perhaps one of the coldest places on earth (Wellington rarely looks it, though it definitely feels it) and it is refreshing to see actual teenagers playing teenagers as opposed to 20 somethings with perfect physiques and blemish-free facial features.  

 And at this point I have to address a comment I made earlier: I called Giamatti’s character, Mike, a quasi loser, and that is probably the intent but not really the reality. Mike, whose law practice is failing, true, has an amazing wife in the freckled face of the awesome Amy Ryan, two gorgeous children, an amazing home, and friends who are slightly unhinged and provide the oddball comic relief, but are still loyal and lovely people if somewhat disturbingly obsessed with teenage boys in sweaty unitards. Seeing a family so ordinary, with people so human, not dealing with extreme evil or struggling with deep psychological trauma but still turning out as interesting characters, was, for me at least, quite a breath of fresh air.  And again, I can’t recall the last time I saw teenagers shown as monosyllabic gawky people, intelligent but only occasionally making eye contact and even then only to stare daggers.  And of course, Melanie Lynskey is in there too, albeit briefly, and she is always a welcome sight in anything. 

The film runs to two hours, which is really pretty long considering the subject matter, but it didn’t seem to drag.  The pace is definitely not fast, but all the cast make the film a very easy watch.  There’s the odd laugh, the well-signposted twists, and lots of people looking very, very cold.  And for all that, I liked it.

Verdict:  Win Win won me over from my initial scepticism.  It feels odd to say there was nothing stand out about the film except the fact that it was an ordinary family in an ordinary family very well rendered.  In the end, despite any economic hardships and some dubious friends (I was half expecting someone to say giggidy giggidy somewhere along the way), I couldn’t help but feel that Paul Giamatti’s character was a very rich man indeed.  7 reverse choke holds out of 10.