By Susan Granger
Special to WestportNow
Now that Hollywood is striving for more inclusion, audiences can see stories like “The Peanut Butter Falcon” about those who, previously, were shunted to the sidelines — like Zack Gottsagen, who has Down syndrome.
After writer/directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz met Gottsagen at a symposium for disabled actors, they created this film about a young man with Down syndrome who is determined to pursue his dream of attending pro-wrestling school.
“Growing up in Florida, Zack wanted nothing more than to be a movie star, and we were having that hard conversation, telling him there’s just not a lot of roles for someone like him,” Schwartz recalls. “He said, ‘Let’s just do it together.’” So they did.
Like a modern Mark Twain adventure, set in North Carolina, it revolves around Zak (Gottsagen), a runaway from a residential nursing home, joining Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a thief on-the-run who becomes his unlikely confidante and coach. Together, they elude capture in the seaside grasslands, swim, catch fish and drink whiskey as they travel down Pamlico Sound.
When Zak’s caseworker Eleanor (Dakota Johnson) eventually catches up with them, they convince her to join them on their quest to find Zak’s wrestling idol, The Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church).
After writing the script but unable to raise funding, Schwartz and Nilson saw an Instagram message that Josh Brolin posted on Dec. 31, 2015, indicating he wanted to “give something back in 2016.” Immediately, they DM’ed him; he got back to them within 10 minutes, indicating he’d be happy to help.
Brolin had intended to appear in the film but scheduling for “Deadpool 2” precluded that. Yet his involvement opened doors for the inexperienced filmmakers. Soon, Dakota Johnson, Shia LaBeouf, Bruce Dern, and John Hawkes signed on, along with pro-wrestlers Mick “Mankind” Foley and Jake “The Snake” Roberts.
After winning a prize at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, this charming film got distribution and garnered critical acclaim.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Peanut Butter Falcon” is an inspiring 8, a feel-good film.
As a critic, I judge a movie by how well it accomplishes what it sets out to do. If it’s a comedy, it should be funny. So despite my misgivings about preteens’ spewing raunchy vulgarities in Gene Stupinsky’s “Good Boys,” it seems to amuse audiences, particularly in this era of sensitivity toward topics like sexual identity, bullying and objectification of women.
Opening with a father-and-son talk about masturbation, three awkward, affably innocent sixth-grade boys are nervously anticipating their first kissing party.
Known as the Bean Bag Boys, Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams) and Thor (Brady Noon have been friends since kindergarten. At their suburban middle school, they’re mocked as ‘uncool’ by the Scooter Squad, led by Atticus (Chance Hurstfield).
When shy Max yearns to kiss Brixlie (Millie Davis), a skateboarding girl he likes, in prepubescent confusion he turns to rule-abiding Lucas and aspiring pop-star Thor to search for information about kissing on the Internet and practice on what they think is a CPR doll.
When that fails to satisfy their curiosity, they use an expensive drone that belongs to Max’s dad (Will Forte) to try to spy on a real couple making-out.
Eventually, they grab a bottle of ‘Molly,’ make a precarious, five-mile trip to the mall and taste a few sips of warm beer. Meanwhile, Lucas’ parents (Retta, Lil Rel Howery) are planning to get a divorce, and it’s obvious that 12 year-old boys aren’t ready to cope with the harsh reality of adult sex toys, BDSM gear and explicit pornography.
Scripted by Lee Eisenberg & director Gene Stupinsky (co-writers of “Bad Teacher” and TVs “The Office”), it’s produced by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (“Superbad”), who make sure there’s a crass mix of fresh-faced spontaneity and snappy set pieces revolving around adolescent angst and childproof locks.
On the Granger Gauge, “Good Boys” is a shocking, smutty sweet 6, filled with sticky, R-rated misadventures and a poignant epilogue.
Unfortunately, Richard Linklater’s adaptation of Maria Semple’s “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” doesn’t make a smooth transition to the screen. Semple’s anarchic, nonlinear story revolves around an affluent, if eccentric, middle-aged woman who submerges her identity with that of her family, losing her sense of self. On paper, her daughter’s inner thoughts propel the narrative. On-film, this doesn’t work.
The opening shot shows Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchett) alone in a kayak, navigating through Antarctica’s ice floes — a setting to which the story will return.
A flashback reveals that Bernadette lives in a ramshackle, old mansion in suburban Seattle with her workaholic husband Elgie Branch (Billy Crudup), an artificial intelligence Microsoft millionaire. They have a devoted 15 year-old daughter Bee (Emma Nelson) and a golden retriever named Ice Cream.
Before marriage/motherhood, Bernadette was an innovative architect, recipient of a MacArthur Genius Grant. Now a stay-home-mom, she’s a reclusive neurotic, acidly sparring with her uptight neighbor Audrey (Kristin Wiig), who hires a “blackberry abatement specialist” to probe the undergrowth between their homes along with battling to maintain “global correctitude” at a posh private school.
A former colleague (Laurence Fishburne), perceives Bernadette’s dilemma. “People like you must create,” he tells her. But how can she reignite her creative spark and retrieve her sense of self?
Cate Blanchett notes: “What I find really poignant about Bernadette is these crazy, absurd monologues and the relationship she has with a virtual assistant because she’s so isolated. People don’t often talk about how you can be in a really happy, successful relationship but still feel alone.”
Adapted by Holly Gent, Vincent Palmo Jr. & director Richard Linklater (“Dazed and Confused”), it suffers from an uneven, inconsistent tone and oversimplification of the complicated source material. On the plus side are cameos from Judy Greer, Steve Zahn, Zoe Chao and Megan Mullally.
On the Granger Gauge, “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” is an anticlimactic, floundering 5, not unlike its heroine.
(Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
