Review of Win Win (2011) by Josh A — 26 Sep 2011

Paul Giamatti is on a roll lately with this and the equally well-crafted 'Barney's Version'. Though a little slow to get rolling, 'Win Win' ultimately succeeds because of it's great balance of off-beat comedy and an engagingly human story as much about the character's inner conflicts as their struggles with each other and the situations that befall them.

The cast is fairly outstanding all around, and though Giamatti does most of the heavy-lifting, I really enjoyed Jeffrey Tambor and Bobby Cannavale's characters for the comic relief-genuinely funny without compromising the tone of the film.

Giamatti bring's his usual bumbling schtick here as Mike, although this is a more likable character than in previous roles. Mike is genuinely a good guy with his heart in the right place, but a set of circumstances beyond his control back him up against a wall and he is forced to make a hard decision as the better of two evils.

No real need to go into much more detail, but the character arcs here are really pretty genius. This isn't a film that's going to knock you over with awesome special effects or make you pee yourself with laughter.

This is just an honest and human story, impeccably written, and backed by some very good performances. I am rapidly becoming a Paul Giamatti fan.