The Peanut Butter Falcon

Gillipedia Official Rating: Bayou Goodness

            This is the sweetest film you’ll see in a while. No, it’s not perfect. It’s also a little simplistic, but its heart carries it through its 100-minute runtime. What is The Peanut Butter Falcon? It’s a tale with hints of O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Mud about a young man with Down Syndrome named Zak who has been put at a retirement home for the last couple of years because he doesn’t have anywhere else to go. He watches Thomas Haden Church perform as the Saltwater Redneck on video and runs away with the help of Bruce Dern to fulfill his dream of becoming a wrestler. Through unusual circumstances Zak is thrust upon Tyler (Shia Lebeouf) who is also on the run, and together they have an adventure through the coast of North Carolina.

            This isn’t a hilarious film, but there’s enough humor to keep things running—most provided courtesy of newcomer Zachary Gottsagen. As you may already know if you’re familiar with my reviews, I will critique a film based on its merits first and foremost. And I have to commend Zak for his performance; he feels like he belongs, and it takes guts to perform in your underwear for as long as he does in this film.

            Shia Labeouf’s Tyler plays out about as you’d expect. He’s a fisherman who lashes out at the world because he’s still grieving over the loss of his brother (played by Jon Bernthal in flashbacks—these are mostly subpar and are really used to pad the runtime) by stealing crab and burning gear. Zak sneaks onto Tyler’s boat as he has to avoid the fishermen whose gear he torched (one played by a rapper who goes by the great name Yelawolf). Tyler is dismissive of Zak, and even though he doesn’t bully him like others have already in the film, he’s also not keen on keeping him around considering he doesn’t bring anything to the table. But as the pair continue along, Zak proves to be a loyal partner, and Tyler helps teach him to swim and trains him up to be a wrestler. We’re treated to a couple of montages, and the entire soundtrack is filled with old bluegrass, folksy tunes and I’m all for it (Just wanted to point out that while doing my research for this review, I came across a band called The Electric Peanut Butter Company and I felt like sharing that. That is all. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.). My biggest issue is how quickly Tyler goes from solo outlaw to seeing Zak as a brother figure. It fits in well enough with the brisk pacing and light tone, but a critic’s gotta critic after all.

            Dakota Johnson of 50 Shades notoriety is also here. Outside of Zak’s roommate played by Bruce Dern, Johnson is one of the few people at the retirement center that truly cares about Zak’s well-being, and she’s sent by her boss to retrieve him. It doesn’t take much convincing for her to join the motley crew; a few googly eyes later and her and Tyler hit it off. Again, their relationship is rushed—even more so than Tyler and Zak’s bond. Like when they first meet in a convenience store, Johnson leaves by giving the Tyler the middle finger. It was in a playful way, sure, but it all felt like a quick turnaround. And yes, I understand they bond over their fondness for Zak, but I’d just like to sit over here and nitpick in peace please.

            There really isn’t anything here that will surprise you. It’s a formulaic feel-good movie with the twist of Zak as one of the main characters. And truthfully, it doesn’t need to be more than that. I’m a fan of my dark noir thrillers and my action escapades, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a sweet film. Enjoy this movie and don’t forget that the #1 rule is party.

 

In Brief:

• I think Netflix is clogged with substandard content with some great shows and films mixed in. I think Steve Carell’s Space Force could be good and is probably somewhat funny, but I wasn’t impressed by the trailer.
• If you didn’t check out The Last Dance on ESPN, you missed out. Not only was it great to get some sort of sports content, it was also just super engaging. A lot of young athletes especially can learn what mindsets and consequences it takes to achieve what MJ did. And it was really funny seeing the slight behind-the-scenes peek at Space Jam.
• I recently re-watched the John Wick trilogy and can safely say that I had no regrets about that. I know after the third one the series has become mainstream, but if you haven’t checked them out yet, I highly recommend them. Some of the best action movies ever.