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SXSW capsule preview: ‘Win Win’
Slightly schlubby with shoulders slouched forward, a jogger sputters along a wooded trail as a couple of fleet-footed runners pass him. He stops, winded and defeated.
Such is life for Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti). Try as he might, the middle aged lawyer in small town New Jersey can’t seem to stay ahead of life. A tree in the front yard is threatening to topple and collapse the roof of his family’s house, the boiler at his small law office is on the fritz and his roster of small-time clients aren’t getting the bills paid on time. Adding insult to injury, the high school wrestling team he coaches in his spare time couldn’t pin an autumn leaf to the ground.
When faced with the opportunity to take advantage of aging client’s dilemma, the straight-shooting Mike makes an unethical and out-of-character move that will earn him $1500 a month. Although it seems a victimless crime (the blasé treatment of elder abuse here is slightly unsettling even for a dark comedy), Mike realizes his plan is not fool proof when his client’s grandson, Kyle (an excellent turn by Alex Shaffer), appears.
At first the bleached-blonde teen offers more solutions than problems: it turns out his fantastic wrestling skills are a windfall for Mike. But the specter of catastrophe looms (and looms for quite awhile, as much of the movie unfolds placidly - and somewhat unbelievably - with almost no real conflict), and it seems just a matter of time before Mike’s plan begins to unravel. That’s when we get the frantic and nervous Giamatti character we’ve all come to gladly endure if not quite love. Kudos go to Bobby Cannavale and Amy Ryan as Mike’s best friend and wife, respectively.
“Win Win” screens Monday at 7:15 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre.
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