The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

We watched Bombshell, OUTIH, Jojo Rabbit, etc...and this movie was 💯 times more enjoyable. We watched it with our 2 kids (15 and 5 ) and they loved it. It's sweet and funny with so many quirky great characters.

Fmovies: While running away together, but for different reasons and directions, two abandoned young men are invited by a blind preacher to hear the Gospel and take a deep dive into the river. Processing an unlikely friendship, of mutual support and reliance, as well as interests and goals to find freedom, they are called to reconnect with the Creator in order to shape and strengthen themselves. The hot-headed, rebellious fisherman Tyler (Shia Labeouf) refuses the improvised baptism, convincing his runaway-partner Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a young man with Down Syndrome, to go into the river, despite his inability to swim or even to understand the ritual. After the spiritual encounter, those inspirational words continue to fill their hearts with hope, as they surrender entirely to the Almighty. It is deeply represented as they leave the preacher's territory, while reflecting on themselves; while in movement, on the road, the rays of sun shine upon them, as they touch each other's face, as a response with such grace and joy for being made accordingly to His own image. This moving spiritual experience (one that will definitely bring tears) gives them motivation to pursuit their goals: Tyler must avoid a pair of thugs (including Oscar nominee John Hawkes) with whom he had a crab-merchandise dispute, as he leaves the state in search of opportunities; Zak had always dreamt of becoming a wrestler, and plans to get trained at a school managed by an iconic wrestler (Thomas Haden Church). Their lives are suddenly connected, as they find familiar comfort to relief their disappointment and abandonment: Tyler is haunted by the tragic death of his brother, and Zak was left alone at the clinic-home, rejected by his family. Conceived by writers-directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, in their outstanding feature debut collaboration, this heartbreaking, humorous, crowd-pleasing fugitive story is certainly one of the most accomplished indie films of the year. The "Thelma & Louise" structure works efficiently, as a road movie on the highways, on the river, or by foot, the pair is running from their realities and dangers in order to find themselves. The music, editing and stupendous cinematography, capture the hopelessness and despair of its characters (including a fine performance by Dakota Johnson as the social worker responsible to rescue Zak), and the idyllic, mysterious, remote and serene landscapes of the wilderness, creating an absorbing, poetical and insightful atmosphere.

Shia Labeouf is incredibly convincing and mature, completely different from his "Transformers" phase, and newcomer Zack Gottsagen is a revelation, confirming his confidence and resistance to battle the obstacles of his condition. Winner of the Audience Award at SXSW, and named Best Film at both Heartland and Nantucket Film Festivals, it's a fresh, pleasant, humble and powerful cleansing soul experience.

I'm just gonna lay it all out right now. I absolutely loved this movie. From start to finish I was smiling, laughing, crying, and as the credits rolled, I looked over at my friend who was with me, and all we could just say was "wow." I can't even begin to put in to words just how much I loved it. The Peanut Butter Falcon revolves around a young boy named Zak, who has down syndrome, and how he follows his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. Along the way he meets Tyler, and together they form an unbreakable bond with one another, and go on the journey of a lifetime together. The writing is all around, really good, and as of now, this is my main contender for best screenplay at the Oscars next year. But what blew me away most about the film is the performances. I honestly had to remind myself at one point that these two men are actors, because their performances just feel so real. Shia Labeouf gives without a doubt the best performance of his career here, and it will for sure garner him a comeback in Hollywood. But the standout was definitely newcomer Zack Gottsagen. Being one of the few actors out there who actually has down syndrome, he plays his part flawlessly. And yes, I know some of you will say that he has a bit of an advantage, but trust me when I say that he is gonna go so far with his career after this. I really hope he gets the recognition he deserves. My only real issue is that there is a subplot in the film that I really didn't feel was necessary. It didn't really add anything, and it's only purpose was to give the story some sort of villain, which it really didn't need in the first place. But all in all, this is an amazing movie. There really hasn't been anything like it, and it deserves to be seen by everyone. It is funny, it is heartwarming, it is so purely and genuinely human, and it is one of my favorite movies of 2019. I give The Peanut Butter Falcon a 9.5/10

The Peanut Butter Falcon fmovies. ...or get in your way if you want it hard enough; no matter who or what you are - just go for it, you'll achieve nothing if you don't. Inspirational and heartfelt stuff to be found here in spades, and while those words get overused on far too many occasions they are more than appropriate in describing the courageous and endearing Zak Gottsagen who brings a spark of magic to proceedings. A true role model to all and one to be looked up to and admired in his own right.

We finally got The Peanut Butter Falcon playing in my town so naturally I was first in line to see it. After hearing all the hype from this film it's safe to say I was ecstatic to see it. After the film ended I had a great time, but I felt it was a bit overhyped.

First of all the pros of this film, Shia LeBeouff and Dakota Johnson give a great performance with a fun story that kept a smile on my face throughout the film. I also felt the film looked fantastic. The cinematography was gritty, real and did a great job of capturing the swampy area of the North Carolina Outer Banks.

As for cons I felt that there were some scenes that didn't really work for me. They seemed a little pretentious or out of left field. And I don't know if I really buy the ending of the film. It seemed a little far fetched for my tastes.

However, I love this film. Looking at it from a critics standpoint it has some issues, but looking at it from a movie viewer it's a great time! I plan to watch this again as soon as it comes out. If this film is playing in your town go check it out!

The Peanut Butter Falcon Review:

The Peanut Butter Falcon follows Zak, a Down's syndrome patient living in an assisted living home, as he runs away from his care home to make his dream of becoming a wrestler come true. Along the way he meets Tyler, a man on the run after committing a crime, and the two make an unbreakable bond as they spend days together learning about each other. I had heard only good things about this film since it aired at various film festivals. I tried not to have the plot revealed too much to me which I think benefits sometimes. I was very surprised to see how many people went to see this film at 10 in the morning. That was giving me high hopes. Also the almost perfect critic and audience score told me something as well. What a heart warming film. We haven't had a film like this in a while that has a great message and is made to make us happy. The plot, though it can be pretty unrealistic at times, makes for a fun adventure. Zack Gottsagen as Zak is definitely the standout here. What a great performance. He has so much to work with to embody his character. He provides most of the comedy and there's no way to hate him. Shia LeBeof has finally had a great performance and I personally think the best of his career. I understood where he was coming from and how he perceives himself. One of the questions asked in the film is who's the bad guy and who's the good guy. He knows the bad things he has done and doesn't know which is heartbreaking almost. Yet he continues on with life an eventually meets Zak. Their bond was so strong where I stopped seeing Shia and Zack and saw their characters. You can tell a film is good performance wise when you forget who is playing who. I'm was just so happy when they were together and the serious scenes too. Dakota Johnson plays a worker from the assisted living home who is trying to find Zak. She did very well and probably one of her best performances as well. I want too invested in her character but she provided some good topics to talk about. One of my favorite scenes was with her and Shia and he's explaining to her that she's treating him differently since Zak has Down's Syndrome and she should just treat him like any normal person and not like he's a child. This film is very good at provides good insight and a beautiful way. I realized this film was special when the woman sitting next to me started crying at a feel-good moment that was a little emotional. Great films should affect you in some sort of way, typically it happens through emotion. It does get emotional at times. It was needed and knew when to keep on a scene longer or when to switch. There was one exception with the climax of the film. A big event happened and about two minutes later it ended. I would've liked just a little more since it ended abruptly. That was my only major flaw. Technically this is a beautifully shot film with amazing shots from above of the scenery, especially along the beaches and water. The score was good and peaceful. The technical stuff set the tone right for me. I'd definitely recommend seeing The Peanut Butter Falcon. I really hope it's in consideration for awards this upcoming season. If you live around the central Wisconsin area it'll be playing at the Stevens Point theater and I believe still at the Cedar Creek cinema in Wausau (that's where I saw it).

My Grade: A-