The Peanut Butter Falcon is a film about a man with Down Syndrome named Zak (Zach Gottsagen) who lives in a nursing home, but wants to leave and train to be a wrestler under Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church). He meets Tyler (Shia LeBeouf), a trouble making fisherman, and they start to form an unlikely friendship.
I knew nothing about this film beforehand and it turned out to be an utter delight.
The premise of the movie is a bit odd, but the film mostly consists of Zak and Tyler traveling down to get to a wrestling school. However, their chemistry is what carries the film. I could watch Zak and Tyler’s antics all day, their friendship is just too pure to not love.
Dakota Johnson also stars as Zak’s caretaker, Eleanor, who goes out and looks for him after he escapes and ends up having a bit of a romance with Tyler. It’s nice to see both LeBeouf and Johnson do independent fare like this and leave the stink of their past franchises behind.
The subplot involving Zak and a rival fisherman did lose me a bit. I know Tyler did screw them over, but they felt a bit too over-the-top for me with their aggression.
Overall, The Peanut Butter Falcon is a heartwarming and enjoyable film about friendship and following your dreams. Gottsagen and LeBeouf are magnetic, so if you get the chance to catch the film in theaters, I would strongly recommend you do so.
I give The Peanut Butter Falcon an A-
