Review: The Peanut Butter Falcon

Blu-ray, DVD & Digital: The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

Boy do I love a feel-good film. Unfortunately there’s a fine line between feel-good and sloppy, where overly emotional histrionics ruin the story.

Thankfully The Peanut Butter Falcon only has a few small hokey hiccups, but it is overwhelmingly a feel-good movie…emphasis on GOOD.

I like Shia LeBeouf. He may end up as the next Nic Cage (bonkers but brilliant) but I do think as he’s matured he’s learnt to rein himself in, and here he gives an outstanding performance as troubled Tyler; pissed off and punishing the local hardmen when he should really be begging them for forgiveness.

He meets up with Zak (Zack Gottsagen): a downs syndrome man who lives in an old peoples home. Zak is on the run from the home after watching an old video of the ‘Salt Water Redneck’ who has a wrestling school in Florida, and wants to go there and be a wrestler. 

It’s all a bit Huckleberry Finn with meandering rivers and bonding over peanut butter, and is beautiful to look at. Lebeouf’s acting is so naturalistic that at times I felt I was watching a home movie. The only aforementioned ‘hiccup’ is Dakota Johnson, who although pretty to look at, isn’t really needed to tell the story of 2 men, both disabled in different ways, just living. She rocks up and it’s all fluttering eyes and “can I have your phone number”.

Despite this I really liked the film, and loved the central and very natural relationship between the 2 leads which seemed more genuine than forced.

Another plus note is that Jake the Snake is in it as a heel. Booo! Hissss!

Review by Tina from a disc kindly supplied by Signature Entertainment.

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