The Peanut Butter Falcon full of big, vibrant heart
An unconventional buddy movie, The Peanut Butter Falcon is a feel-good outing so willing to take a risk, butcan sometimes lose its way and lose track of its own plot. However its heart remains immovably in the right place.
Leigh Paatsch
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It is rare to see a feel-good outing so willing to take a risk, come a cropper, dust itself off, and have another crack at something else.
An unconventional buddy movie, The Peanut Butter Falcon can sometimes lose its way – and lose track of its own plot – but its heart remains immovably in the right place.
And what a big, vibrant heart it is.
Shia LaBeouf plays Tyler, a troubled fisherman being chased by some peeved and dangerous rivals up the coast and down the river.
It is while making one of his getaways that Tyler discovers he has a stowaway aboard, Zak (Zack Gottsagen).
This feisty interloper (who happens to be a young man with Down syndrome) is also on the run, having given the slip to the authorities supposedly caring for him.
Zak’s one abiding dream in life is to train to become a professional wrestler, and he soon becomes convinced that Tyler is the person who can get him where he needs to go.
As for Tyler, he just happens to be heading in the opposite direction from the place Zak has in mind.
What follows is a rather shapeless, but spirited set of scrappy adventures for Tyler and Zak.
These straight-talking rebels are destined to butt heads and bond big-time as their odyssey continues.
A real one-off in all the right ways, thanks to both the funny, moving and motivated work of its stars, and a story that never quite conforms to the predictable.
For a screen newcomer, Zack Gottsagen turns out to be a real find. Far from just showing up and saying his lines, Gottsagen closely collaborated with the filmmakers in filling out and sharpening his character.
Gottsagen’s work ethic and clear enthusiasm sparks an energy in the movie that is hard to describe, but easy to connect with.
THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON (M)
Directors: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Zack Gottsagen, Dakota Johnson, John Hawkes.
Rating: ***1/2
Never a smooth flyer, but always ready to soar
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