Win Win

Blest be the ties that bind...
Thomas McCarthy's previous films, "The Station Agent" and "The Visitor," were about sad, dispirited people finding love, hope and human connection where they least expected it. "Win Win," McCarthy's latest film, is another funny, touching film in the same vein, and one that promises to bring McCarthy a larger audience.

Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is a small-town New Jersey lawyer and high-school wrestling coach with a loving wife (Amy Ryan), two adorable small daughters, and a rapidly failing law practice. Desperate to make ends meet, he finagles his way into becoming the court-appointed guardian of one of his clients--Leo Poplar (Burt Young), an old man in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's--and pockets the $1,500-per-month guardian fee. However, Mike didn't count on the sudden appearance of Kyle Timmons (Alex Shaffer), the teenage son of Cindy (Melanie Lynskey) Leo's long-estranged junkie daughter. A sullen, bleach-blond kid, Kyle is a troublesome guest in the Flaherty...

Needs and how we meet them
Tom McCarthy is a young gifted artist - actor, writer, director - who has gifted us in the past with such memorable small films as writer/director of 'The Visitor', 'The Station Agent', and as writer for 'Up'. He deals with simple people encountering complex problems and shows us how cooperative relationships make life OK. McCarthy both wrote (with Joe Tiboni) and directed WIN WIN and if there were two words that would best describe this film the title supplies them. It is real, touching without becoming saccharine, and populated by a cast of some very fine actors who deliver a very human story.

Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is a sown on his luck lawyer in poor economic times who deals with elderly people as clients. His loyal wife Jackie (Amy Ryan) keeps their small house in Providence, New Jersey (McCarthy's home town, by the way) in order, managing their two daughters, the funky Abby (Clare Foley) and Stella (Penelope Kindred), in tow. One of Mike's clients Leo...

A great Movie!
This is one of my favorite movies. No special effects or exploding cars, just great acting in real-life situations. And it's its funny and sad too. Highly recommended.

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