March 26, 2011

Movie Review: Win Win

Win Win is an aptly named film. It's a huge win-win - no kidding.
Is there any better actor than Paul Giamatti? He's the real-est actor around; the guy who lives down the street, the one you see at Starbucks in the morning. He's every man. His performances are reliably great, always so relatable, and this one is no exception. His character, Mike, is a guy you can sympathize with, even when he does something sleezy.
Amy Ryan is wonderful as his wife and Bobby Cannavale plays his best friend and provides some perfect comic relief. Alex Shaffer in the role of Kyle, who through circumstances ends up staying with Mike and Jackie, is flatly believable and engaging.
There's no performance in this film that isn't flawless.
Tom McCarthy is the amazing writer/director of this film and if you haven't seen his two previous films - The Visitor and The Station Agent - do it now. They're two of my favorites.
His characters are always endearing and three dimensional. They're people you can believe in and want to know.
This is an all-round perfect movie with heart and humor.
It's a must-see.
5 stars out of 5 for Win Win.

No comments: