First of all, is there any role Paul Giamatti takes on that doesn’t turn to gold? I just have so much respect for the guy, from “Sideways” right up to his recent tear-inducing work in “Barney’s Version” and now, in “Win Win.”
He seems to have a subtle ability to turn ordinary, humdrum roles into fascinating character studies.
In “Win Win,” he plays small-town New Jersey lawyer and wrestling coach Mike Flaherty. Life is OK for Mike, but that’s about it. His marriage is fine, work is mediocre and money is tight. And his wrestling squad, well, it sucks.
That all begins to change with one small act of deception -- one that truly defines the old “when once we practice to deceive” line.
In order to earn some extra money, Mike offers to take on the guardianship of one of his clients, a wealthy man in the early stages of dementia whose only desire is to stay in his home. With no family to help him do that, the state is going to put him in a retirement home, until Mike steps in.
But instead of following through on his promise, Mike pockets the $1,500 monthly stipend and sends old Leo off to the home anyway, because helping him stay in his house was going to be “too much work.”
Mike probably would have gotten away with it, with no one the wiser, except that the grandson Leo never knew he had, Kyle, shows up in town in an attempt to connect with his grandfather while his drug-addict mother is in a treatment program.
Things start to look up for everyone involved. Mike takes Kyle in to live with his family, Kyle quits smoking, goes back to high school and becomes the star of the wrestling team, and Leo begins to connect with his grandson, who despite his troubled past seems to have integrity and a heart of gold.
When Kyle’s mother, with less admirable qualities, shows up, things suddenly get complicated as Mike’s once seemingly insignificant white lie takes on new significance.
Helping to tell the story and round out the cast are Amy Ryan (‘The Wire,” “Gone Baby Gone” as Mike’s wife Jackie and Bobby Cannavale (“The Station Agent”) as Mike’s best friend Terry.
The film is hung largely on the performance of Alex Shaffer, as Kyle. Shaffer, an accomplished wrestler in how own right, won the New Jersey state championship in 2010.
With almost no previous acting experience, he landed the “Win Win” role in a walk-on audition after learning from a friend that the director was looking to cast a real-life wrestler.
Shaffer is perfect as the withdrawn, single-word answer kid who has been mistreated in the past and doesn’t trust easily. We all know someone like this, and Shaffer pulls it off perfectly, grown up and tough in some scenes, vulnerable and childlike in others. Amazing.
But Giamatti drives the film. In his role as Mike he plays an easily relatable, likable character dealing with the everyday struggles that many of us face: Paying the bills, struggling with feelings of mediocrity, dealing with health and stress issues and simply trying to find a way to be happy and fulfilled in life.
The movie opens with a shot of Mike (short, balding, paunchy) jogging along a forested trail in the early morning. As he huffs along, two tall, athletic, spandex-clad runners blast past him like he’s standing still. And this is an analogy for how Mike feels about his life. No matter how hard he works, he’ll always be at the back of the pack.
So when Mike sees an opportunity to get ahead a little, even though it’s somewhat dishonest, he takes it.
Many of us could relate to that, and faced with a similar temptation might even make the same decision. But that doesn't make it right, and the rest of the film is about the results of Mike's decision and how it affects his life and those around him until he is finally willing to admit his wrong, ask for forgiveness, and deal with the consequences, even though they will likely be unpleasant.
A nice surprise at the end of the film is a new song by "The National," called "Think You Can Wait." Solid tune written by the band after watching the film. Check it out here.
