The Peanut Butter Falcon
The last time I felt this entranced by a film's undying optimism and excitement at life was 2016's Swiss Army Man, and it's to directors Tyler Nilson's and Michael Schwartz's credit that they were able to create such a visually and thematically beautiful fairy tale as that one with their very first narrative feature, out this weekend.
Zack Gottsagen, a Down syndrome actor in a strong film debut, plays Zak, a 22-year-old who runs away from his care home (actually a retirement home) with lofty hopes of becoming a professional wrestler under the tutelage of his favorite TV "badass," the Saltwater Redneck (Thomas Haden Church). Across from Gottsagen is Shia Labeouf as Tyler: a grungy, "me against the world" crab fisherman on the run from some of his hillbilly peers after they beat him up and he torched their crabbing equipment in return. Zak's and Tyler's paths are fused when Zak stows away in the boat Tyler uses to escape his pursuers. Tyler begrudgingly agrees to let Zak tag along with him for the time being, realizing how harshly the world might treat someone like Zak if he doesn't. Meanwhile, Zak's primary caretaker, Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), has gone searching for him. When Tyler runs into her in a gas station and realizes her aim to put Zak back in a retirement home, Tyler is inspired to help Zak find the Saltwater Redneck and get his shot at a wrestling career. And so begins their trek, on foot and by sea, down the coast of North Carolina.
The Peanut Butter Falcon's most obvious strength is the chemistry between LaBeouf and Gottsagen. There isn't a moment of artificiality between the two; LaBeouf feels more than ever like he's playing a role very close to his own headspace, and Gottsagen is clearly pulling heavily from his own life experience and desires. What results is a very grounded, loving bond that forms between the two, as Tyler refuses to treat Zak as anything other than a friend and a guy following a dream. It's one of the most beautiful and natural onscreen relationships I've seen in years, and it pains me to think that the film's modest release will mean that so few people will get the opportunity to experience it.vMuch of the banter between the two feels heavily ad-libbed; though if it's not, we've got a couple of genius writers on our hands in Nilson and Schwartz.
Dakota Johnson gives a strong, understated performance as well, though she is given the least character depth of the three to swim around in. My biggest personal complaint with the film is a somewhat forced and completely unnecessary romance arc for her character, which becomes obvious about halfway through and never surprises through the end of the film. In addition, it falls into a handful of "journey film" tropes, but it's hard to care too much when the characters are so alive. What the script lacks in originality, the film makes up for with authenticity.
Cinematographer Nigel Bluck (of True Detective merit) documents Tyler's and Zak's journey in a robust combination of top-down aerial shots, near-panoramic wides, and silhouettes. The film is visually stunning, without ever becoming melodramatic in its presentation.
And I think that may be what makes Peanut Butter Falcon so special: as much heart and earnest love for its characters as it shows, it rarely, if ever, feels overly sentimental or melodramatic. There is a sequence toward the end that comes close, but it's well-earned at that point. Nilson and Schwartz treat this modern Mark Twain tale with each ounce of humanity it deserves, and more, and with the astounding help of Gottsagen and LaBeouf, they've crafted one of the most positive and wholehearted pictures of the year.