It has now been many many months since I made my short list of favorite films in 2011. I had planned to roll these writings out at a steady clip but sometimes it's very hard to find the inspiration to offer unique poetic thoughts on something so specific as a movie I saw. As dozens of films are now wedged in my memory between this #2 film and the present, it is honestly hard to dissect it in detail. But what I do remember about Win Win is that it wasn't a very complicated movie. Like Young Adult (#4) it was just very honest, but the characters are even more believable and relatable that the narcissistic types in that other well-regarded movie.
I remember reading criticism for Paul Giamatti's character in the movie Sideways as being too much like how a screenwriter sees themselves... a little too much navel gazing. I could definitely see that... all one had to do to possibly channel that creative frustration of that character would be for any actor, writer, or director to just think about what they've been through and express themselves. Still, Paul Giamatti, who has had a huge run of enduring likeable performances, was the perfect person for that part.
But this Paul-Giamatti type in Win-Win has him playing someone off that Hollywood-aspring grid... he's a Paul Giamatti type playing someone who could very well be a Paul-Giamatti type in real life. Struggling, neurotic, a little sneaky, but loving, human honest, and warm. The situation his character and his family is put through is powerful but in a wholesome family-oriented way.
So what makes this movie suprisingly not-dull as it follows these ordinary characters? It's the flourishes of real drama, the levity of humorous moments integrated seamlessly into the plot, and the percolating emotional resonance that comes with the actors being very distinct to their styles while building a relationship to the audience. At some point these characters become your neighbors, and there's no alienation between what they are doing and how you might react if you were in their shoes.
Once again it is kind of a travesty that something like this didn't get any major award recognition despite being a solid movie. But maybe that's the way it ought to be. Because some movies aspire to be art and make a statement, while others just move you to a warmer place through honesty and character building. I have a feeling that movies like Win Win, that tap into a modern relatable human condition, will be a little more timeless to many people than those prestige pictures which grab up all the honors.
I remember reading criticism for Paul Giamatti's character in the movie Sideways as being too much like how a screenwriter sees themselves... a little too much navel gazing. I could definitely see that... all one had to do to possibly channel that creative frustration of that character would be for any actor, writer, or director to just think about what they've been through and express themselves. Still, Paul Giamatti, who has had a huge run of enduring likeable performances, was the perfect person for that part.
But this Paul-Giamatti type in Win-Win has him playing someone off that Hollywood-aspring grid... he's a Paul Giamatti type playing someone who could very well be a Paul-Giamatti type in real life. Struggling, neurotic, a little sneaky, but loving, human honest, and warm. The situation his character and his family is put through is powerful but in a wholesome family-oriented way.
So what makes this movie suprisingly not-dull as it follows these ordinary characters? It's the flourishes of real drama, the levity of humorous moments integrated seamlessly into the plot, and the percolating emotional resonance that comes with the actors being very distinct to their styles while building a relationship to the audience. At some point these characters become your neighbors, and there's no alienation between what they are doing and how you might react if you were in their shoes.
Once again it is kind of a travesty that something like this didn't get any major award recognition despite being a solid movie. But maybe that's the way it ought to be. Because some movies aspire to be art and make a statement, while others just move you to a warmer place through honesty and character building. I have a feeling that movies like Win Win, that tap into a modern relatable human condition, will be a little more timeless to many people than those prestige pictures which grab up all the honors.
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