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Is it worth $10? Yes
Sometimes you do what you have to do, even if it's not necessarily the right thing to do. That's what struggling attorney Mike Flaherty does in "Win Win." He doesn't want to assume the legal guardianship of one of his elderly clients, but has to because he needs the money. Does it come back to bite him? Of course it does -- but that doesn't mean he wouldn’t do it the same way again.
Mike (Paul Giamatti) works out of a small duplex that he shares with his accountant friend Stephen "Vig" Vigman (Jeffrey Tambor). They, along with Mike's recently divorced friend Terry (Bobby Cannavale), moonlight as high school wrestling coaches to earn some extra cash. It's a good, honest, hard-earned living, but for Mike it's not making ends meet for his wife (Amy Ryan) and two daughters. He needs to do something, and he does.
When his wealthy client Leo (Burt Young, a.k.a. Paulie from "Rocky") regresses into early-onset dementia, and Leo’s daughter (Melanie Lynskey) is nowhere to be found, Mike half-assedly takes over Leo’s estate and earns a hefty $1,500 a month for his trouble. What Mike doesn’t expect is Leo’s long-lost grandson Kyle (Alex Shaffer) to show up, and the fact that 16 year-old Kyle is staying at Mike’s house makes him squirm even more. And did I mention that Kyle is also a great wrestler?
The film was written and directed by Tom McCarthy, who continues to feature characters who feel oddly isolated while surrounded by others (he also made “The Visitor” and “The Station Agent”). Poignant stories and great acting are trademarks of his films, and “Win Win” delivers: Giamatti is very good (as always) in the lead, and he gets great supporting help from Ryan, Tambor and Cannavale. He also has nice chemistry with Shaffer, who’s making his acting debut here. It’s hard to tell how bright a future Shaffer has as an actor (need to see him do more than act moody), but if nothing else he should always look back on this as a job well done.
“Win Win” is a touching, effective and humorous look at modern American suburban life and the questionable things we may do in order to ensure happiness. Not for a second do we think Mike is a bad guy, and it’s hard to say you wouldn’t do the same thing under the circumstances. It’s a credit to Giamatti and McCarthy that we have Mike’s back every step of the way, regardless of how flawed he may be.
Did you know?
Cannavale also appeared in “The Station Agent” as a talkative coffee vendor. Also, in 2010 Shaffer won the New Jersey State Wrestling Championship.
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05typesdc5
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... I too thought this movie was great, I had 2 passes to see this movie so I brought a friend along. I went in with no expectations at all. It didn't have stellar cast or extreme budget, but it was just a feel good kind of story. I thought Paul Giamatti, played an excellent "down on his luck" role. Now that it's out of the theaters I would def recommend this movie for those who like to rent $1 movies. This will be a great find you won't be disappointed. |
movielover
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... Yes win win too me is worth 10 dollars...oh my goodness i ad so many chances to see this movie and wow i was so impressed with the acting and the actors/actresses even the girl from 2 and half men..what a versatile role as a mother with drug problem..wow..excellent movie one of my top movies of this year..  |
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