A dose of feel-good cinema does the body good, and The Peanut Butter Falcon is here to deliver. Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson and Zack Gottsagen star as an unlikely trio who partake on an unlikely adventure through the South.
LaBeouf plays Tyler, a wanderer who has just learned that if you light on fire another man’s crab pots—the way he makes his living—he’s going to get angry; while on the run he meets Zak, a man with down syndrome who has fled his nursing home “prison” in search of a better life, and to learn how to become a professional wrestler like his idol, The Salt Water Redneck.
Because who doesn’t want to become a professional wrestler.
The Peanut Butter Falcon, from writing/directing team Tyler Nilson and Mike Schwartz, is an endearing little film set against a beautiful, water-soaked landscape. The environment is a character in its own, a unique signature on a film that shouldn’t be as good as it.
The chemistry between LaBeouf and Gottsagen elevates the already solid screenplay, an impressive pairing that elicits sparks from the moment they meet. LaBeouf delivers a great performance—he’s best when he’s been beaten down a few rungs—but it’s the newcomer Gottsagen who steals the show. He has natural charisma and is a good counterbalance to his fast-talking colleague.
The Peanut Butter Falcon will unfortunately fly under the radar and not come close to getting the attention it deserves, but excellent performances by the leads and an entertaining, scruffy story make for one of the most enjoyable experiences of the year.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.