'The Peanut Butter Falcon' Review

Synopsis: Zak, a young man with Down syndrome, runs away from a residential nursing home to follow his dream of attending the professional wrestling school of his idol, The Salt Water Redneck. A strange turn of events pairs him on the road with Tyler, a small-time outlaw on the run, who becomes Zak's unlikely coach and ally.

Runtime: 97 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for thematic content, language throughout, some violence and smoking)

Who should see it? Those in the mood for a pleasant feel-good film.

The Peanut Butter Falcon serves as a feature debut for writer-directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz following their collaborations on various shorts and documentaries. The duo excels spinning a modern Mark Twain yarn for their first feature though, which will quickly charm you into submission. This buddy-road adventure earns a lot of goodwill from the dynamite pairing of Zack Gottsagen and Shia LaBeouf, as the two actors pal around en route to their respective destinations. Though casting a special needs actor for the lead role is positive in the interests of realism and onscreen representation, this choice could have gone awry. An insensitive script or uncertain direction could have easily compromised the endeavor, but fortunately, the filmmakers offer a mature perspective of Zak and his disorder.

Nilson and Schwartz recognize the unconscious bias through which society perceives individuals with Down Syndrome and acknowledge this most explicitly in a key scene. Tyler doesn't talk down to Zak or treat him differently than he would anyone else. However, not everyone they encounter on their journey offers Zak the same courtesy. This further translates into the making of the film itself as Nilson and Schwartz don't ask any less of Gottsagen than they would another actor cast in the role. Compared to his costars, he endures challenges of equal measure and proves up to the task. For a first-time performer, Zack Gottsagen is exceptional, regardless of his disorder. In the role, Gottsagen demonstrates an authentic assuredness and insecurity in Zak's high and low moments. To top it all off, he really sells the happy-go-lucky attitude. As I've already alluded, his rapport with LaBeouf is especially charming.

All the while, Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson lend sturdy supporting turns. LaBeouf draws a lot from Tyler's particularly troubled past, articulating profound despair in his reflection and a spark of joy in the lighter moments. Rounding out the core trio, Johnson imbues Eleanor with benevolent motherly qualities as well as a determined spirit. 

The narrative's not without its fair share of coincidences. Characters conveniently find each other, and the antagonists are thinly sketched, but none of that undermines this wholesome tale of friendship and family. As the title suggests, The Peanut Butter Falcon is an unusually endearing endeavor which flies in spite of peanut butter-matted wings. 

Film Assessment: B+