The Peanut Butter Falcon

The Peanut Butter Falcon is a movie about a young man with down syndrome, Zak who runs away to try to achieve his dreams of becoming a wrestler. I really enjoyed this film for what it represented, it is the few times like this where cinema can provide not only an entertaining experience but an experience that goes well beyond that where the beauty of this artform lies. The Peanut Butter Falcon is a story about belief, family and the pureness of hearts. I think the movie wonderfully casted Shia Labeouf and Dakota Johnson, both actors have faced their fair share of controversy. Dakota Johnson, known mostly from her involvement in the infamous fifty Shades of Grey franchise gets to show her reserved side and gives a sophisticated performance that washes away all the negative reputation from her previous film roles. Shia Labeouf on the other hand has a much greater lesson learned from his involvement here. Starting off as a child actor and getting fame from being in the Transformers franchise, it has been a while since he has been in a major film role; becoming an internet meme certainly has not supported that downwards spiral in his career. It seemed like for a moment there Labeouf's career in Hollywood is at the end of the line, but this movie, seeing his character's transformation just by being with the incredible presence of Zak brings a newfound authenticity to his performance. There is something raw and transformative in his role here that almost goes beyond the fictional on screen character but almost seems to show his real life turn. The film centers around wrestling and as a wrestling fan I would like to share my perspective on the matter. Wrestling has had its days in the early 90s but since then it has been seen as overly choreographed, gimmicked or even childish. After the so-called 'kayfabe' has gone wrestling fans are constantly being challenged with 'don't you know that it is fake?'That age old question that we all love, I think The Peanut Butter Falcon handles this very well, in discussing the theme of authenticity, dreams and beliefs. Incorporating Zak's childlike nature and imagination into the notion that in wrestling, its truly about conveying belief. Wrestling is not about fooling the fans into believing in something that is not true, but to pull out the real and authentic emotions by a delicately choreographed performance between two performers. Which is why oftentimes the best matches and storylines are those that incorporate the real lives and events of the wrestler. The Peanut Butter Falcon smartly deals with this, and presents it in a way that is so pure and heartfelt, overall it was a very enjoyable and feel good type movie. So, unless you hate having that warm fuzzy feeling that gives you that uncontrollable grin, this movie is for you.

I found this movie formulaic and predictable. Shia is good in his role. We need to see more of him. Dakota Johnson's acting runs the gamut from A to B. A Hallmark movie with swearing.