Review: Win Win

Win Win appears to be your typical Sundance charmer on the surface, but it is unexpectedly gritty and nuanced at its core. While that sounds like a ringing endorsement, the problem is that the movie operates as though it isn’t aware of this deeper level. As Win Win delves into such challenging topics as mental health, legal fraud, and the rights of elderly people, the tone and structure remain that of a quirky dramedy. This does a major disservice to the breadth of the material and the performances because it keeps the viewer at a conventional distance; they are unable to connect with the story because, for all its realism, it doesn’t let them in. It is difficult to pinpoint what exactly writer/director Tom McCarthy needed to change–his previous two Sundance hits, The Station Agent and The Visitor were emotionally penetrating–but Win Win has an unmistakably “glazed over” air about it that keeps it from greatness.

Paul Giamatti plays protagonist Mike Flaherty, a suburban New Jersey elder care lawyer whose practice has dried up to the point at which he can’t even afford to call a plumber for the near-exploding boiler in the basement. To keep his family afloat, Mike one day connives an unethical, illegal plan: he will take the $1,500/month guardianship of his dementia-afflicted client Leo (Burt Young), only to stick the poor old man in a nursing home and pocket the cash. But matters complicate when Leo’s rebellious, bleach-blonde grandson Kyle (Alex Shaffer) arrives on the scene with no place to go, fed up with his drug-addict mom (Melanie Lynskey) and her boyfriend back in Ohio. Mike and his wife Jackie (Amy Ryan) have no choice but to take the boy in, despite the fact that his smoking habit and questionable background don’t exactly gel with their Midwestern image. However, Mike, who coaches a losing high school wrestling team by night, forges an unlikely connection with Kyle when he discovers the boy was once a state champion. Kyle’s quick takedowns on the mat prove exactly what the team needs, but acceptance doesn’t transform him as one might expect: he is still the mentally-unstable victim of his upbringing and is also deeply suspicious of Mike’s relationship with his grandfather.

Perhaps the reason that Win Win isn’t able connect as well as McCarthy’s previous films lies in the fact that, superb as those two were, they never really transcended the Sundance mold, instead opting to discover humanity within it. Win Win, on the other hand, takes its characters in much less conventional directions and, as a result, McCarthy’s usual style proves ill-fitting. Yes, the film has an ordinary-seeming premise about outsiders finding their true place in the world–the eternal narrative of Park City–but it doesn’t find truths in the abstract tradition, instead offering honest realism. Mike’s moral deficiencies and Kyle’s serious mental health issues are never overlooked. In other words, where a film like The Visitor makes itself feel real by analogies to reality–Richard Jenkins would have never welcomed his unexpected house guests with open arms in real life, but we go along for the ride because it says something true about social alienation and human bonding–Win Win is actually realistic. And yet, on a stylistic level, you cannot differentiate the two films, which is a serious hurdle for Win Win in communicating its more direct themes. The viewer is prepared for moments like that in which Ryan’s Jackie reveals her long-time, tattoo-verified enthusiasm for Jon Bon Jovi–an example of abstract character expression–but not the darker ones that make the movie what it is.

Severe tonal problems aside, Win Win is nevertheless worth seeing because everything else about it is excellent. The performances, being the heart of the film, are the most deserving of praise. Giamatti, so skilled at revealing the moral complexity behind this kind of scruffily middle-aged man, fleshes out every angle of Mike’s life, from his professional tribulations to his marriage to his abilities as a father / coach. Amy Ryan plays a much more likable character in his wife, but is equally human in capturing concern for her husband’s clear instability and the power of maternal instinct. And how about Alex Shaffer who, in his first ever screen-performance, enacts a miracle by resisting every temptation to turn Kyle into a misfit cliche. Throw in the terrific supporting work of Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor, Burt Young, and Melanie Lynskey and you have yourself an ensemble that is deserving of far more than just the Independent Spirit Awards it will undoubtedly receive. It is too bad that McCarthy’s overly polished directorial approach doesn’t better showcase the imperfections of the characters, but at least the performances are strong enough to overcome the flaws of the film as a whole. Win Win is an ugly package with a great present inside, which, while not ideal, is a lot better than the other way around.

* * *

Win Win (2011, USA). Produced by Jacqueline Brogan, Lori Keith Douglas, Lisa Maria Falcone, Tom Heller, Michael London, Mary Jane Skalski, and Erica Tuchman. Directed and written for the screen by Tom McCarthy. Story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni. Starring Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Alex Shaffer, Bobby Cannavale, Melanie Lynskey, Jeffrey Tambor, and Burt Young. Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Rated R, with a running time of 106 minutes.