The Peanut Butter Falcon

MOVIE TITLE: The Peanut Butter Falcon

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour, 33 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

This charming film won the Audience Award for Narrative Spotlight at SXSW Film Fest 2019. Shia LeBeouf and Zack Gottsagen make an unlikely, yet fantastic pair of actors that will warm your heart as they go on what feels like a Mark Twain adventure. This unique movie is making headlines because it features the impressive star talent of a young man with Down Syndrome. After so many remakes and superhero movies on the Big Screen this year, this buddies-on-the-lam movie feels fresh and inviting. Co-written and co-directed by first-time team Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, this simple movie flows as easily as the river the characters follow on their adventure.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

You see a young man who has Down Syndrome in his underwear.
Some men beat up another man.
Lots of profanity, including 2 F-bombs
A man hits a kid.
Some people drink alcohol and get drunk.
Smoking
Two people flip the bird.
Some shirtless men.
Some criminal behavior.
If you have professional wrestling fans in your family, they’ll really get a kick out of the story.

THEMES:

Believe in yourself.
Friends are the family you choose.
Hero
Good guys vs. bad guys
Being in control of your own life
Making other people’s dreams come true
The journey is more important than the destination.

THINGS I LIKED:

Shia LaBeouf is absolutely outstanding and a marvel to watch. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him in anything. Unfortunately, he’s still working out his own life’s choices. He was arrested for public drunkenness when they were filming the movie in Savannah, Georgia.
Zack Gottsagen is fantastic. Wow.
What can I say? It’s nice to see Dakota Johnson with her clothes on in a movie. If she chooses more scripts like this one, she might be able to shed her image as the toy in the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise.
Cute “training” sequence as Zak learns how to get strong enough to wrestle.
I loved the watermelon helmets.

No stunt doubles were used.
Thomas Haden Church always makes movies better.
It’s a nice blend of humor and drama.
Beautiful cinematography by Nigel Bluck.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Sometimes it’s really hard to understand what certain people say.
The way that people track down other people seems pretty hard to believe.
The Third Act shifts from realism to something more out of a feel-good fantasy.
There is mention of Zak’s need for medication, yet he conveniently doesn’t have any medical issues during his adventure.

FUNNY LINES:

“No, I have no money and I ain’t got no pockets.” – Zak
“What’s rule number one?” – Tyler

“Party!” – Zak (He actually made up that line when he was first asked by Shia LaBeouf. They thought it was so funny that they kept the line in the movie.)

INTERESTING LINES:

* “I can’t be a hero because I have Down Syndrome.” – Zak

“What’s that got to do with y our heart?” – Tyler

“While you’ve been doing paperwork, we’ve been doing something called living.” – Tyler
“It’s a hard thing to do, believe in something.” – Tyler
“I’m going to give you all my wishes on my birthday.” – Zak

OTHER MOVIES About Down Syndrome:

The Mighty