Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz (2019)

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Shia LaBeouf
Zack Gottsagen
Dakota Johnson
Thomas Haden Church
Jon Bernthal

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Told as a comparatively modern take on a classic Mark Twain novel, The Peanut Butter Falcon tells the story of Zak, a resident in a state run retirement home. Zak is in his 30’s and shares a room with an elderly man whom he has nothing in common with. Zak dreams of being a wrestling star, inspired by his hero Salt Water Redneck. In a bid to make his dreams come true, Zak runs away from the retirement home and heads for Redneck’s wrestling school.

Along the way, Zak meets Tyler, a nomad being chased by two ruffians who are in pursuit of him after he set fire to the fishing equipment. Zak and Tyler form a brother-like bond and take on the world together in this heartfelt action comedy. 

The first thing I was instantly drawn to in this film was the scenery, compiled by a collection of shots over the swamps of Savannah, it is utterly breathtaking from beginning to end. The cinematographer, Nigel Bluck, also know for his work on True Detective, managed to capture the magic of the morning sun rise and the beautiful darkness of night in the southern state of Georgia giving it an air of peacefulness.

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The story is told mostly from the perspective of Tyler (LaBeouf) who has dealt with some true horrors in his past and almost uses these bad memories to excuse himself from the bad choices he makes. Once Zak comes into his life we see a strong character arc begin to form in Tyler as he starts to give himself reason again, his big turning point is when he realises he has left Zak behind and having him alongside him on his journey down to Florida may not necessarily be such a bad thing after all.

Whilst Zak is on the run from his retirement home, his carer and friend Eleanor (Johnson) is left to her own devices to find him and bring him home. Eleanor suffers from abuse in her work place by her chauvinistic boss who blames her success solely on her parents money. A typical trope for a female who is seemingly doing well at work, but happens to come from wealth. The film manages to tackle some pushing social issues throughout, including the state welfare system for elderly and disabled residents, the lack of pay within these industries as we hear Eleanor mention that she doesn’t even get paid for her work at the home. And it also looks briefly into the life within redneck America, something that isn’t shown in film very often, particularly not in a positive light. 

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The performances are flawless throughout, Zack Gottsagen gives an outstanding breakout performance as our loveable protagonist Zak, I for one can’t wait to see what he does next.

Shia LaBeouf continues to amaze me in every role he is given, he manages to act with such grace and comfort that he completely embodies the characters. This film is no exception, he is fluent and carefree with his performance creating an almost addictive viewing experience.

A fairly standard supporting role for Dakota Johnson, she was well cast in this film and I enjoyed her comfort in the role, however she is yet to wow me.

Finally, a small shout out to the supporting cast, Thomas Haden Church gives a well thought out and highly convincing portrayal of the retired wrestling star, Salt Water Redneck, and manages to keep hold of the loving and caring persona he so often brings to the screen. Jon Bernthal may only have popped up in this film for a few flashback scenes but generally I believe he was very well cast as LaBeouf’s Tyler’s brother, they could well be related in real life. 

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I thoroughly enjoyed the screenplay, it felt so natural almost to the point of improvisation throughout some of the scenes, particularly between Gottsagen and LaBeouf. There was a raw quality about it, which is so hard to find in a film with such a small cast, that made it feel utterly honest and told completely from the heart. It followed a pace that wasn’t too slow, wasn’t too fast, the elements within the story that the audience needed were shown and there wasn’t any padding, it was comfortable and heartwarming to watch. There were times when the suspense was built and you found yourself really fearing for the characters. 

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I will say, I felt like the ending might have been a safe option, there was a chance to be a bit more daring with the final act but aside from that, it was fairly predictable, in a good way, and it gave the audience what they wanted. 

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Would I watch it again? 100%. Despite feeling like I needed a long hot shower afterwards, due to the characters being utterly filthy pretty much all the way through the film, I thoroughly enjoyed it.