Rating:  

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor, Burt Young, Melanie Lynskey, Alex Shaffer, Margo Martindale, David W. Thompson, Nina Arienda, Sharon Wilkins.
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Director: Thomas McCarthy
Rating: R
Running Time: 106 Mins.
Release Date: March 18, 2011
Home Video Release Date: August 23, 2011
Box Office: $10.2 Million
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Everest Entertainment, Groundswell Productions, Next Wednesday Productions, and Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Written by: Thomas McCarthy; Story by Thomas McCarthy and Joe Tiboni.

I remember a quote from a politician many years back that went something along the lines of, “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”

I thought of this frequently while watching the terrific Thomas McCarthy film, “Win Win”, which takes moments of cerebral comedy, a potentially inspirational sports story, and flawed and troubled ethical decision-making, and tosses all of it into the air. The characters of the film, and perhaps McCarthy himself, looking to make good choices and preserve their integrity, when life unexpectedly refuses to allow for the comfort of normalcy.

Starring Paul Giamatti as Mike Flaherty, a New Jersey Elder Law attorney and high school wrestling coach, who offices in a converted old house with his Jill-of-all-trades assistant, Shelly (Nina Arianda) and his long-time friend, business associate, and fellow wrestling coach, Vigham (Jeffrey Tambor). Money is tight, the economy squeezing Mike to the breaking point, and the overflow work Mike counts on from a colleague’s law firm is simply not available. Mike is also married to Jackie (Amy Ryan), with two small children, and the pinch of life is starting to leave a bruise.

When a wealthy client, Leo (Burt Young), retains Mike to assist him with his legal matters, the normal routine of everyday life gets thrown up in the air when Leo’s daughter (Melanie Lynskey) never responds in a request to serve as Leo’s legal guardian. After deciding to serve as Leo’s guardian and, in turn, receive a monthly stipend for his services, Mike encounters Leo’s grandson, Kyle (Alex Shaffer), who has come to stay with Leo. Suddenly, Mike not only has a dilemma involving Leo and his grandson, but Kyle has nowhere to go if Leo will not be residing in his home. Begrudgingly and to his wife’s initial chagrin, Mike and Jackie take Kyle in until things can be sorted out.

“Win Win” also develops an interesting story involving Mike’s work as a local high school wrestling coach. On a whim, Mike brings Kyle to practice with him, thinking that Kyle will simply stay, biding his time until practice is over. As fate would have it, Mike discovers that Kyle has some incredible wrestling abilities and for Mike, whose team has not win a significant match in years, the idea of placing Kyle on the team is simply too compelling a choice to ignore. Soon, everyone’s lives become intertwined in ways both traditional and non-traditional, leaving that new normal a bit elusive for everyone to define.

Thomas McCarthy is not a writer or director who goes for the mawkish, schmaltzy tone that others who write his brand of humanistic comedy/dramas often opt for. “Win Win” is not a pandering, inspirational family story and becomes all the better because of it. McCarthy, as he did expertly in 2003′s “The Station Agent” and 2006′s “The Visitor”, loves painting his characters in shades of grays – making his characters real and flawed and honest and human. McCarthy’s films contain, for the most part, nice people who have lost their way somehow and always seem to believe they are a mere step or two away from putting everything back in order. What “Win Win” reminds us is that even when we think everything is under control, oftentimes it is not, and the comedy of life comes from learning of our mistakes and helping others avoid making similar ones.

While that feels like a heavy-handed life lesson crammed into what should be a 100-minute comedy, McCarthy is too good a writer to browbeat you with any sort of “message”. The film packs in a number of great moments, including a goofy and engaging performance from Bobby Cannavale, who plays Terry, Mike’s divorced and obsessed best friend. Amy Ryan and Paul Giamatti are great together and Alex Shaffer’s debut performance is raw, untrained, and successful in letting us see and understand who Kyle is, what he has been through, and why he is likewise seeking normalcy in perhaps a more desperate and immediate way then the adults around him.

“Win Win” is not quotable and is not going to bring a tear to your eye or tug at your proverbial heartstrings, but the film is smart, engaged, and cognizant of the world it lives in. McCarthy again brilliantly peels back the curtain and finds good people in difficult times and emotionally murky situations, simply trying to do the right thing.

Should I See It?

“Win Win” is a success because it works on virtually every level. The acting, the humor, the writing…everything is dialed in and the film bears an impression on you.

If you are a fan of Thomas McCarthy’s other writer-director films, “The Station Agent” and “The Visitor”, this is a perfect addition to those endearing and memorable films.

How nice is it to be reminded that the best comedy comes in things we can all relate to. This slice-of-life dramedy has decisions and situations that we can buy into because we can easily envision how we would react in a similar circumstance.

By not presenting characters as good or bad, but in shades of gray, Thomas McCarthy may reach for more realism but in doing so, may lose those who seek their characters more easily defined.

Other than just having no interest in the plot or subject matter, I am at a loss as to why someone would not be interested in a funny, thought-provoking, and entertaining slice-of-life comedy. Take a shot.