A Slap To The Face Makes The Family Man Go Down

Sometimes we need one swift, full-palmed affront to the face to remind us who we are, or so says Director Thomas McCarthy with his latest film Win Win.

The film is rife with characters wrangling with themselves for a sense of control over lives gone awry with desperation in a rural New Jersey town. Paul Giamatti plays Mike Flaherty, an attorney with a dwindling client base who works as a high school wrestling coach on the side.  The man’s demeanor is as soft as his jawline.  

As a patriarch, he is inept and ineffective at preserving an idealized sense of Norman Rockwell inspired reality.  His wife is a stay-at-home mother who cannot keep her mouth shut when she thinks she has the moral high ground.  She derides Flaherty into submission, as it appears she has done so for a large duration of their marriage.

He so desires to fulfill the traditional role imbued upon his gender and be the family’s provider and caretaker, that he makes the decision to do something against his core ethics.  He attains guardianship status over one of his elderly clients, who is devolving into senile dementia, and takes advantage of the situation for financial gain.

Flaherty can’t come to terms with what he needs to do to keep a roof over his precocious daughter’s head. But he does it anyway, and the checks start coming in. Lo and behold, who shows up on Flaherty’s front doorstep?  His client’s grandson.

Alex Shaffer, who actually wrestles in real life, plays Kyle, a disarmingly angst-ridden teen who ran away from a home that has left him with a cigarette habit and an air of jaded nonchalance.  He ends up joining Flaherty’s wresting team and his family.

A clear deviation from the interpretation of character one would have upon viewing his urban attire, Kyle has what it takes to get the guys to the championships, from the wrestling match going on in the gym to the one going on in everyone’s heads.

Prior to each game, Kyle asks his coach to slap him in the face, so that he’s mentally prepared to dominate.  With that slap to the face, purpose becomes clear.  He, as well as all of the other characters in the film need to be jarred to regain control of their lives.

Terry Delfino, played by good-looking Bobby Cannavale, is the third male in the film wrestling to maintain testicular fortitude as he ages disgracefully.  Delfino’s wife had left him for another man with a large tool belt, so he distracts himself by being the assistant wrestling coach.

Although the plot was a bit heavy handed, the performances are well worth the $7.00 I paid for a matinee ticket at in Menlo Park. The movie had an Indie feel and Hollywood polish.  And the single theater itself was quite the interior design treat. The audience didn't provide running commentary, for which I was grateful. 

You can preview the inside of the theater by clicking on the picture of The Guild. We've also uploaded the the movie trailer, so you can decide for yourself whether you want to watch the film. Show times are available on The Guild's website.