Produced in an industry where the average blockbuster offers a surreal narrative alien to daily life, the low-budget Win Win centers on the meaningful relationships formed around rather unremarkable circumstances. The film follows a familially frustrated high schooler and a financially unstable lawyer-cum-high-school-wrestling-coach as they form an unlikely bond. And while there is nothing too profound or exciting about the premise, the film’s down-to-earth characters and ability to remain light-hearted yet poignant distinguish Win Win from the average feel-good comedy.
Win Win is the third feature film from auteur Tom McCarthy, and he continues to follow the themes of unlikely relationships that he first pursued in The Station Agent, a film about the curious relationship between a xenophobic dwarf and a middle-aged divorcée. In Win Win, family man Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is running a dwindling law firm, and in an attempt to make money becomes the caretaker for an elderly client. Enter Kyle, the client’s skater-boy grandson, who shows up unaccompanied at his grandfather’s doorstep one day. After failing to contact Kyle’s neglectful mother, Mike reluctantly takes him into his own home until they can come up with an alternative solution. To Mike’s delight, Kyle is a seasoned wrestler, and the two easily fill the voids in one another’s lives—specifically Mike’s wrestling team’s inability to win, and Kyle’s lack of a sufficient parental figure.
The film is characterized by its optimistic outlook on even the most vilified character or darkest situation—a quality that separates it from comedies which paint issues in black and white. Mike is a well-meaning man, whose unwillingness to share his financial troubles with his wife lands him in a web of lies. But his poor decisions lead him to Kyle, and their mutually beneficial, “win-win” relationship ultimately breeds good from Mike’s fiscal woes. The actions of Kyle’s irresponsible, drug-abusing mother, played to a tee by Melanie Lynskey, are not justified, but her immaturity is made sympathetic by her status as a young single mother. The film’s best quality is its knack for showing these imperfect characters in their honest struggles to do the right thing, an idea that audience members can relate to.
In addition to Lynskey’s moving acting, the film’s cast as a whole shines. Giamatti’s performance is genuine, and real-life high school wrestler Alex Shaffer makes a commendable debut as Kyle. The film’s sensitive subject matter is accompanied by plenty of comical quips and heart-warming scenes that keep the atmosphere upbeat and, if nothing else, pleasantly watchable.
Win Win offers a strong and amiable cast of characters driven by an otherwise commonplace subject matter, and in the end, even the seemingly corny scenes contribute to the film’s unmistakable charm. Taking pride in the meaningful relationships formed out of its characters’ simple existences, Win Win’s touching performances thrust this underdog into competition with this year’s contending critic picks.
