Pity poor Thomas McCarthy. The writer-director, who occasionally acts in other people’s work, has made two great films. “The Station Agent” (2003) was a masterful debut, a charming film about a dwarf obsessed by trains who finally and reluctantly makes friends. “The Visitor” was the best film of 2008, a moving character study of another loner who opens up, this time through the transcendent language of music. So when he makes a solid but slightly uninspired film, a critic can’t help but be disappointed. Coming from almost any other filmmaker, “Win Win” would rate as an above-average drama, with a number of laughs to leaven its tough heart. And it is. But coming from McCarthy, it feels like a rehash of often-explored themes that tries too hard to be both funny and touching.
| Onscreen |
| ‘Win Win’ |
| 3 out of 5 stars |
| Stars: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Alex Shaffer |
| Director: Thomas McCarthy |
| Rated: R for language |
| Running time: 106 minutes |
Paul Giamatti is Mike Flaherty, a small-time lawyer whose practice is getting smaller all the time. He has a wife, Jackie (Amy Ryan), and two adorable girls to feed, so when he sees a chance to make some easy cash, he jumps on it. He becomes legal guardian to one of his clients, stuffing the old man into a nursing home while pocketing a substantial fee each month to take care of him.
The arrangement seems like the solution to his problems until a new one appears. Teenaged Kyle (Alex Shaffer) shows up to bunk with his grandfather while his mom (Melanie Lynskey) is in rehab. Though when Kyle turns out to be a talented wrestler — the lawyer coaches the high school team — Mike’s connection to the family seems only to get better.
But you know when Kyle asks Mike why grandpa was forced to leave his house that a showdown between the two is inevitable. It’s just one of many ways the film feels too predictable. Jackie spurns the idea of hosting Kyle; so by the end of the film, of course, she sees him as family. The pitch-perfect casting goes a long way toward making things more interesting. Giamatti has a fascinating on-screen voice, and he’s always good as a man who must take his lumps. Ryan continues to be one of our best supporting actresses, one who shines but doesn’t need to steal scenes. And newcomer Shaffer does the all-too-casual teenager schtick well.
Perhaps McCarthy had some special reason for making “Win Win” — it’s set at New Providence High School in New Jersey, the director’s alma mater. He’s made a trio of films now that take as their main theme the ways in which people might finally connect. It’s the perfect subject for a brainy, talented filmmaker — which McCarthy, as evidenced by his previous films, certainly is.
