As a two-decade veteran of reviewing films, it is always such a welcomed joy when a fresh talent emerges out of nowhere. It is as if lightning has struck from above. When it occurs in a film that also possesses a cornucopia of heart, hilarity and is as enlightening as it is entertaining
—like The Peanut Butter Falcon—the entire experience recalls two things. First, why this career was so appealing and second, what it is about the church of the cinema and why it has captured society’s fancy for over a century now becomes blindingly clear. Honestly, forget baseball, movie watching is our new national pastime.
Just saying… but, I digress. This is not about me. This is about the instant national treasure that is Zack Gottsagen. The young actor portrays Zak, a young man with Down syndrome, who has been confined to an old folks’ home somewhere near seaside North Carolina. He has a roommate in Carl (Bruce Dern), who could not be more supportive of his dreams. See, Zak wants to go to the wrestling school offered by the one and only “Salt Water Redneck.” Carl may complain about how often they watch the wrestler’s videotape, but deep down he has incredibly strong sympathy for his roomie who probably should not be stuck in an old age home—yet, that is where fate and family (and the state) have put him.
Taking care of him, primarily, is Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), whose selfless attention is utterly endearing to witness. It’s just that Zak wants out and makes a habit of trying to escape, to Eleanor’s dismay.
One evening, with Carl’s ingenious help, Zak succeeds. With nothing on but his tighty whities, he races away. He may have no idea where he is going, but it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s not the retirement villa, the smile on his face couldn’t be brighter. Eventually, he hides in a motorboat under a tarp. To his surprise, Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) is trying to escape a nasty little predicament himself and hops in his boat and speeds off into the marshy wetlands. When he discovers Zak, the camaraderie between the two is initially rough. Tyler doesn’t want someone slowing him down, but there is something about this wild and crazy soul that compels him and takes it upon himself to help him get to this wrestling school in the deep south. He may be a lot of things, but Tyler is firmly a man of his word.
There is so much to treasure about The Peanut Butter Falcon, but firmly at the top of the list is the cinematic chemistry of LaBeouf and Gottsagen. The Transformers star has always been a thespian that I’ve felt had vast amounts of talents that if he could get out of the way of his personal challenges, he could soar with the best of the business. LaBeouf has certainly done that, last year’s Borg vMcEnroe should have resulted in an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of John McEnroe, but his day on the Oscar stage will come—perhaps even for The Peanut Butter Falcon. Right alongside him should be Gottsagen.
Like his character, the young actor has Down syndrome. Not only is his performance extraordinary from a technical-thespian point of view, but it is also an inspiration. He shows that there is nothing that someone with that diagnosis cannot do if they set their mind to it and have enough help and frankly, are given the opportunity. He brings so much to the part, besides his Down syndrome kinship with Zak, there’s a light in those adorable eyes that is infectious. It lights up the screen and the entire endeavor that is this touching film. Gottsagen has impeccable timing, both dramatically and comedically … and gets to show off both continually through writer-directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz’s masterwork.
To their enormous credit, they do something many directors do not do and that is get out of the way of a talent when it is operating at its full capacity. Nobody knows this story more than the two who created it and filmed it and it speaks volumes to their moviemaking gifts that they have two leads who they knew enough about the creative process to simply let them do their thing collectively. In the process, they shine a spotlight on a group of folks who are misunderstood at the least and shunned by many in society at the most. This singular film should do so much for awareness about Down syndrome and as such, here’s hoping Hollywood green-lights more stories with like characters in a myriad of landscapes and situations. Gottsagen truly is something to behold. Through the picture, I zig-zagged from wanting to give the fellow a huge hug and an emphatic high five.
Johnson is an interesting actress. She dazzles in everything she does. One could say that she was the sole reason to watch any of those three dreadful Fifty Shades movies and was subtly sensational in last year’s Bad Times at the El Royale. She embodies empathy in The Peanut Butter Falcon in a way that is palpable. Sure, Gottsagen makes it easy from his talent and screen presence. But Johnson’s Eleanor has to straddle a fine line. She has a boss she must answer to in that he has placed the blame that Zak escaped firmly on her shoulders. He has also tasked her with doing everything she can to bring him back. She ventures out, in the retirement home’s shuttle bus no less, and heads south. The caregiver has a gut feeling that if she knows Zak, she knows where he’s going—to that wrestling school.
Then, there’s the shooting star sensibility that LaBeouf brings to Tyler. His character is one of the last folks you would think would find a kinship with Zak. But, as is the case with any “on the road” movie worth its salt, each character discovers something in the other that tends to come out when you’re bonding on the waterways, highways and byways of a land. They are more alike then it would appear on the outside. There is a huge hole in Tyler’s life, and wouldn’t you know it if Zak could be the most surprising of things to fill it. LaBeouf shows layers of his artistic prowess that is pitch perfect for working opposite his scene partner, but also has a keen command of the part and its role in the overall equation that is the entirety of the story. After watching him in Borg v. McEnroe and now The Peanut Butter Falcon, LaBeouf may be the premiere actor of his generation for portraying broken souls in a way that is priceless and endearing.
The supporting cast is also stellar. It speaks volumes the power of the script and the talent that filmmakers possess by who they got to play what truly amounts to smaller parts. Oscar nominee (and one of my faves) John Hawkes plays against type with his taunting turn as Duncan. Of course, Dern is awesome, isn’t he always?! Jon Bernthal continues his post-Walking Dead hot streak as Tyler’s brother and Thomas Haden Church delights as Clint, aka The Salt Water Redneck.
Nilson and Schwartz have made a talent announcement of their own with their stunning script and dazzling directorial skills. There is a sensitivity to their approach to The Peanut Butter Falcon that is far from pandering. It is purely innate. They treat Zak like any other character in their universe and as such do something immensely profound in the process. Society may say that he has “special needs,” but in truth his “issues” are treated as mirroring those challenges that face Tyler, Eleanor or Carl for that matter—at least within the scope of this movie. They just come from a different place. He was born with it, while others bring issues upon themselves and that distinction is so crystal clear that it is inspiring on so many levels when thinking about our brothers and sisters who have disabilities or ailments, both seen or unseen.
Zak’s Down syndrome is also portrayed in a manner that shows how insensitive society can be towards those with mental or physical issues. Zak recalls stories to Tyler about his dreams being dashed because of things coaches or teachers said to him. How he is even in the retirement home in the first place with his parents literally giving up on him and the state not quite sure what to do with him and in the process place him somewhere that is not what he needs at the least.
All these emotional facets and storytelling mastery is impeccably captured in an entertaining, enthralling and enlightening 100 minutes. Schwartz and Nilson inject an incredible amount of laughter, a few tears, a slew of uplifting moments and above all else … priceless life lessons for us all. Regardless of what we are born with, grow into or have thrown upon us at the core we are all human beings. As such, the pounding heart that keeps us alive and grounds us is a common thread that should (as portrayed in The Peanut Butter Falcon) serve as a lifeline connecting every living soul on the planet.
Grade: A