Win Win (2011)

 3/5

i went to go see Win Win with my friend Meghan the other night. turns out that throughout university, Meghan had worked at the theatre where we watched the movie (which also happens to be my favourite cinema in the city) - and so we just strolled right in. like, literally - right past the ushers who were ripping the tickets. Meghan gave a little wave to someone she recognized and the dude waved back. f-ck. it was like she was Mrs. Cineplex Odeon.

i haven't strolled into a movie for free through "a connection" (without a screener pass or without being someone's guest) since i worked at a cinema 16 years ago. it reminded me of how good it feels - it's like a little rush of power - that feeling of walking right past people waiting in line, hoping that their movie won't be sold out by the time they reach the box office. that, "yeah. suck it, bitch," feeling. like when you go to a really great club and see a huge line-up, but instead of joining the queue, you walk up right to the bouncer and give him a little charm and the door is opened for you. i almost needed a cigarette afterward. (thanks, Meghan!)

anyway, Paul Giamatti plays Mike, a lawyer who coaches a high school wrestling team in his spare time. the team isn't very good which frustrates an already stressed out Mike. Mike's law practice is pretty slow - he's strapped for cash and his wife doesn't know it. Mike sort of stumbles upon an opportunity to make some extra money - to earn an extra $1500 a month, Mike decides to become the legal guardian of one of his elderly (and wealthy) clients who has developed dementia, Leo (played by Burt Young - remember Rocky’s brother-in-law?). Leo wants to stay in his own home but he ends up being placed in a nursing home. when Mike goes to shut the water off at Leo's house to keep the pipes from freezing and bursting, he finds Leo's estranged grandson Kyle sitting on the doorstep.

16-year-old Kyle (played really well by Alex Shaffer) takes off from his home to come stay with his grandfather whom he has never met. Mike invites the stranded teen to spend the night at his home with his family, but Kyle's overnight stay becomes more of a permanent situation as Mike and his wife Jackie (played by Amy Ryan, The Office) discover that Kyle's mom is in rehab. Kyle enrolls in the local high school and attends one of Mike's wrestling practices. this is where the movie gets really good. up until this point, the movie's action and story drags a bit. but the tone and momentum picks up once we see Kyle in his wrestling element - at this point the movie begins to feel more like a feature film rather than a TV movie (it also doesn't help my made-for-TV-feeling that most of the actors (apart from Giamatti) i recognize only from their TV roles). 

in any case, the scenes with Kyle integrating with the family are great. i LOVE it when Mike and Jackie keep offering Kyle money but he always refuses with a "thanks, but i've got my own money." (HOW does he have his own money?!) it doesn't matter - i love that i kept being pleasantly surprised throughout the film - Kyle's personality and the small things he says and does are unexpected and refreshing. Kyle (despite LOOKING like a slacker and having a few confessed mess-ups in the past) is a really good kid - he's sweet, appreciative, polite, caring, motivated, and cool. his quiet interaction with Mike really makes the movie for me. i also appreciated that fact that i wasn't force fed any sappy father-son scenarios or moments - Kyle and Mike's relationship is a convenient one for both parties, and their mutual adult-like respect for one another feels real. but i wanted more wrestling scenes. more scenes with Kyle with his friends and the coaches.

i love Paul Giamatti, and i really like him in this movie - his character feels authentic. the panic attack scene is well done, and although his relationship with his brother didn't really convince me, i still really enjoyed watching them together. his interaction with the kids in the wrestling scenes and the other two coaches deliver some really funny moments. but i feel the movie turns back to feeling like a bit of a TV movie of the week when Kyle's mom suddenly resurfaces out of rehab and things get complicated. but then everything gets neatly resolved with a cute little bow without much surprise. it's a little annoying but forgivable, because overall i really enjoyed Win Win. it's a sweet little story wrapped in a cute little bow. and when a movie ends and your reaction is to turn to your friend and smile, well, then that's pretty good.