A struggling lawyer and volunteer wrestling coach's chicanery comes back to haunt him when the teenage grandson of the client he has double-crossed comes into his life.
Director:
Tom McCarthy
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Title: Win Win (2011)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Paul Giamatti | ... | Mike Flaherty | |
| Amy Ryan | ... | Jackie Flaherty | |
| Bobby Cannavale | ... | Terry Delfino | |
| Jeffrey Tambor | ... | Stephen Vigman | |
| Burt Young | ... | Leo Poplar | |
| Melanie Lynskey | ... | Cindy | |
| Alex Shaffer | ... | Kyle | |
| Margo Martindale | ... | Eleanor | |
| David W. Thompson | ... | Stemler (as David Thompson) | |
 |
Mike Diliello | ... | Jimmy Reed |
| Nina Arianda | ... | Shelly | |
| Marcia Haufrecht | ... | Gina Flaherty | |
|
|
Sharon Wilkins | ... | Judge Lee |
| Clare Foley | ... | Abby | |
|
|
Penelope Kindred | ... | Stella |
Disheartened attorney Mike Flaherty (Giamatti), who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach, stumbles across a star athlete through some questionable business dealings while trying to support his family. Just as it looks like he will get a double payday, the boy's mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything. Written by Fox Searchlight Pictures
As in Thomas McCarthy's first film, "The Station Agent", there is an air of loneliness to the characters in "Win Win" but also with an ability to be kind and with a whole lot of humour permeating throughout. Mike (Paul Giamatti) is approaching a mid-life crisis; the monotony of daily life and money troubles colliding. But this is a well written film and it doesn't look or feel like a mid-life crisis. Just as we get to know the characters exceedingly well (despite the short air time for some - Bobby Cannavale's Terry), a plot is introduced. Mike starts acting like a sleazy lawyer just to make some easy money, even though he's anything but a sleazy lawyer. Because he's a good guy, realities quickly catch up, and he starts taking responsibility for a troubled kid. Mostly trying to assuage his guilt of wrong-doing, but this kid happens to be a wrestling phenom and Mike is a struggling high school wrestling coach. This film could easily turn into an underdog sports story, but as I said before, this is a well written film and it doesn't look or feel like an underdog sports story. I found "Win Win" to be a great mix of character study, a mid-life crisis, and an underdog sports story all rolled into something that isn't any of the above. It's a light, funny, enjoyable slice of life that could provide a few lessons on morality but stops itself before it becomes condescending.