‘Friends are the family you choose…’
You know when it feels like something deserves to be seen by a whole lot more people than it has been? The dark humour of Flowers. The warm camaraderie of Early Doors. Or to continue the comparison with underrated British TV shows, the exquisite joy that comes from watching the masterpiece that is The Detectorists. But the truth remains, that while none of those shows will ever receive the plaudits they deserve, perhaps the fact that they are so underrated only adds to their charm. The Peanut Butter Falcon is neither British, nor a TV show. However, it does share some DNA with all the aforementioned. A celebration of the outsiders. The forgotten. The left behind. Most of all, The Peanut Butter Falcon is just a beautiful ode to being weird. And surely that is something we can all get behind…
Zak (Zack Gottsagen) suffers from Down Syndrome and so lives his life trapped in a care home mostly made up of old people. His dreams of becoming a wrestler are buoyed when he meets troubled drifter Tyler (Shia LaBeouf). Along with carer Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), the two unlikely friends attempt to escape their previously shitty circumstances.
I should start by saying that Gottsagen has Down Syndrome in real life and was discovered in an acting workshop for people with a disability. He is a revelation here. Hilarious (but always in on the joke), supremely likeable and also heartbreakingly fragile when called for. He also brings the best out of Shia LaBeouf who continues his career renaissance with another excellent performance here. Elsewhere, Bruce Dern is as mischievous as ever as Zak’s confidante in the care home, and Dakota Johnson holds the whole thing together with a grounded and nuanced turn as the damaged Eleanor. The entire cast excel, but this is partly because the story is so flawlessly written. It avoids sentimentality for the sake of it, instead relying on character beats and plot points that feel earned rather than forced.
The Peanut Butter Falcon is not a showy film. It is just a beautiful story told well. The kind of story you could tell to a kid at bedtime or round the campfire. A stunning film.