Through the years Shia LeBeouf has had some interesting run in’s with the media, but you can’t deny that the guy has delivered some outstanding performances. Now he is taking on yet another great looking film with The Peanut Butter Falcon co-starring Dakota Johnson, Zack Gottsagen, John Hawkes, Thomas Haden Church, Jon Bernthal and Bruce Dern. Could this film offer up the heart and fun the trailer promises or will it be down for the count?

 

The Peanut Butter Falcon follows Zak, a young man with Down syndrome, who runs away from a residential nursing home to follow his dream of attending the professional wrestling school of his idol, The Salt Water Redneck. A strange turn of events pairs him on the road with Tyler, a small time outlaw on the run, who becomes Zak’s unlikely coach and ally. Together they wind through deltas, elude capture, drink whiskey, find God, catch fish, and convince Eleanor, a kind nursing home employee charged with Zak’s return, to join them on their journey.

 

I love this movie! The story is pretty simple, but offers up everything you could hope for with laughs, heart and drama. This is easily one of LeBouf’s best roles to date and the chemistry he has with scene stealer Zack Gottsagen are so great to watch. Gottsagen is so good here and while he is at his best when riffing off of LeBouf he still brings so much greatness to his scenes alone as well. There is just something about him that makes you smile and feel encouraged to chase your dreams. I could watch these two guys together all the time as they really make you believe in their friendship.

 

While this is a road trip movie it is so much more than that. There are two characters on completely different paths that find each other to create a bond that goes beyond friendship. They make each other better and they use them to touch on important issues on how people treat those with special needs as well as dealing with loss. I loved everything about this film from beginning to end. I don’t want to give too much away on the overall story because part of what makes this film so great is experiencing the journey with them. For the hardcore wrestling fans be on the lookout for a fun treat that just added to the fun.