Win Win

It was not until I read an article recently that I found out that writer/director Thomas McCarthy was an actor as well and has appeared in several films in small roles.

'The Station Agent' was one of those films that has become a bit of indie folk law. A quirky little comedy that got a distribution. It was a good film that took some interesting characters and put them into an unusual setting. Sadly I missed Tom's follow up 'The Visitor' despite the kudos given to Richard Jenkins. The story for this film, to me, feels like a situation that a major Hollywood studio would come up with to be made as a broad comedy with a big comedy star. Instead we get the much better version with a more realistic story. I will admit that I was expecting it to be a lot funnier, but I did not mind that. Don't get me wrong the film is quite funny and there are lots of great lines. It is a story that is all about characters and their journey through a difficult situation. you know where the story is going but you don't mind because you're going on the journey with such interesting characters. Mike Flaherty is a typical guy who sees an opportunity to help his family and he take it. You know that it is wrong for him to do it but in some ways you can still root for him and want to see him succeed. It is bad to take advantage of an elderly person in that way but I think that wrong is balanced by the good he is doing for the old man's grandson. Helping that kid out of a difficult situation. What I found most refreshing about the film was that the sport the film depicts is wrestling. Most films these days use basketball in film, which is getting a bit boring and predictable. I suppose that's another one of the ways that sets this film apart from the more broad Hollywood comedies.

Paul Giamatti seems to have the monopoly on playing schlepy characters. But he does it so well that you don't really mind. He once again gives a very real performance here that, as mentioned above, while he is doing a bad thing you don't mind him doing it. I found Amy Ryan to be really funny in this film in a clever and witty way. Alex Shaffer is excellent as the young man Mike takes in. He does not say much but you really think he is a real kid and not some Hollywood pretty-boy. This is a very different role for Jeffrey Tambor to play. He normally plays more wacky characters but here he is more nicely low-key. Bobby Cannavale is the wacky character here. He provides most of the humour and makes a nice side-kick for Paul.

A refreshingly different comedy/drama that takes some very real characters and puts them into difficult situation. It is not very broad in its comedy but that's a good thing.