Yesterday I crossed another new release off my long list by seeing The Peanut Butter Falcon. This contemporary retelling of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a heartwarming movie that put a huge smile on my face! Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a young man with Down syndrome, has spent most of his life in a nursing home because his family is unable to supervise him and there is nowhere else for him to go. As a huge fan of a wrestler named Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church), Zak escapes hoping to make it to his wrestling school in rural North Carolina. He meets up with Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a down-on-his-luck fisherman in the Outer Banks, who is on the run from a rival fisherman with an ax to grind (and his own demons). Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), who works at the nursing home, is sent to retrieve Zak but she is eventually persuaded to join them on their way to the wrestling school. The three of them form a bond as they go on a journey of discovery (literally and figuratively) where Zak is reborn as a wrestler named Peanut Butter Falcon. I loved this movie because the story about an unlikely friendship and living life to the fullest on your own terms really touched my heart. It also made me laugh out loud, particularly a scene where Tyler tells Zak the rules for traveling with him and the scenes where Salt Water teaches Zak to wrestle. The performances are wonderful! Gottsagen, who actually has Down syndrome, is incredibly endearing and LaBeouf gives an emotional performance that is one of his best. The two of them have great chemistry and I really enjoyed watching them play off each other. The soundtrack, which features bluegrass and folk music, and the beautiful cinematography are also outstanding! I cannot recommend this movie enough!
No comments:
Post a Comment