The Peanut Butter Falcon: Wrestling "It's Still Real to Me Dammit!"

I’ve heard a lot of talk about this movie called “The Peanut Butter Falcon.” And I never really bothered looking into it because in my mind all I kept thinking was what a stupid fucking title. Then I saw that the lead was Shia LaBeouf and had even less interest in the movie. I know I shouldn’t really judge a movie by just a title and a lead actor but I didn’t even bother watching the trailer. Saturday morning, I was a bit bored and looked to see what was playing at my local theater and there it was “The Peanut Butter Falcon.” So I got on YouTube and watched the trailer and I have to say the wrestling angle in the story drew me in and I decided to go see it.

The movie is about Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a 22-year-old man with down syndrome that was left as a ward of the state and put into a nursing home. He spends time watching VHS tapes of professional wrestling and has one tape of his favorite wrestler the Salt Water Redneck. On the tape Salt Water Redneck mentions that he has a wrestling school and Zak decides that he wants to go there because living in a nursing home is no life for him. So with the help of his roommate he escapes and begins his journey to the school. This is when he meets Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), who is this penniless fuck up. Tyler has a small fishing boat but gets into trouble when he starts stealing from the crab pots of rival fishermen. He further exacerbates the troubles when he burns the operation of the rival fishermen after they beat him up.

Tyler ends up on the run and finds Zak in his escape boat. Through out the course of the movie the two become friends and Tyler promises to bring Zak to the wrestling school as he makes his own way to Florida to escape the fishermen tracking him down. All the while Zak is also being tracked by Eleanor (Dakota Johnson) from the nursing home. The movie follows their developing friendship and adventures as they make their way to the school.

The movie kind of reminded me of “O Brother, Where art Thou?” in the fact that it is this journey that is framed as a grand adventure for the protagonists and has some elements of absurdity. In both films the protagonists meet these eccentric characters that are either there to help or impede their journey. Maybe that vibe was partially why I enjoyed “The Peanut Butter Falcon.” But I absolutely loved the movie.

At its core the movie is a story of friendship and in some sense redemption. Tyler killed his brother in a drunk driving accident and can never seem to forgive himself but as he gets to know Zak, he begins to see himself as something else besides the man that killed his brother and best friend. Zak on the other hand learns that he isn’t defined by his disability. The story sounds a bit simple but it is the way that the adventure plays out that sets this movie apart. The actors were all great because they really embodied the characters. There was never a point in time when I thought Tyler was Shia LaBeouf; through the film he was always this grungy but lovable fuck up. Zak was this innocent but determined man with down syndrome. Eleanor was the only kind of bleh in terms of casting. I’m just generally not a fan of Dakota Johnson, I think she has a similar way of acting in her portrayal of all the characters she ever plays, and this role wasn’t really any different. But overall the acting was great.

I am always leery when movies touch on issues with disabilities because it can usually be a crutch that the writers can lean on. But I thought the way the writers handled Zak’s character was compassionate and understanding. While his down syndrome did play into some of the comedy it never felt out of character or mean spirited. The movie wasn’t necessarily preachy but there was one point when Tyler tells Eleanor that she has to stop seeing him as retarded. She gets offended but he explains that the fact that she keeps trying to protect him and tell him what’s best rather than treating him like any other person is essentially the same thing. The scene I think could have led to some interesting discussion but it was quickly dropped and I think it was the best way to handle it. Because at the heart of the movie is a story about two men becoming friends and going on this epic journey together and escaping the situation that they were trapped in. Both Tyler and Zak needed each other to overcome their situations. The movie did pull at the heartstrings but was never heavy handed.

I think to fully enjoy the movie you must suspend disbelief and I think while it’s made clear in the very first few minutes that this movie shouldn’t be taken seriously. There are points when you can forget because the events are playing out like a straight drama. If you start to think a bit about things making sense in terms of timeframe and circumstances, then you could potentially get bogged down in some plot issues. But I the movie is meant as this fantastical journey and there are these absurd moments that remind you of that. As you can clearly tell I’m struggling to find some things to dislike about this movie.

When the film ended after it’s brisk 93-minute run time I wanted more. I had fallen in love with the characters and wanted to see what would happen to them next but as the credits rolled, I had to come to terms with the fact that both of their stories had been told. What happens next is best left up to my imagination.

TL; DR Despite my dislike of Shia LaBeouf, the cannibal, I loved this movie. 8 peanut butter cups out of 10.