The Peanut Butter Falcon

Details: MPAA Rating: PG-13

Cast: Zack Gottsagen, Shia LeBeouf, Dakota Johnson

Release Date: August 18, 2019

Pros: After reading many, many reviews about this movie I decided to see it for myself. To be honest, I didn't think it was going to be much so I just sat down on the couch with a sprite in one hand and the remote in the other, expecting a good movie for passing time. As the movie progressed, as the audience, I became more and more invested emotionally with the characters and by the end of the movie I was wanting so much more. To start off, the acting was incredible. It feels like most movies would try and get an A-list actor to try and play the role of someone with down syndrome but the film trying to be as authentic as possible trying to portray someone with that syndrome affected the product of the film far better. Zack Gottsagen did outstanding playing the role of Zack and after watching this it wouldn't be surprising at all if we saw him in many more movies in the future. As always, Shia LeBeouf did an outstanding job and his dynamic with Zack was the main thing carrying this movie. As an audience member, I was rooting for both of them to complete their journey and their friendship evolved into something far stronger as the movie progressed and you see what they go through. Not only was the acting spectacular but the story was something unique and refreshing. A boy with down syndrome escaping his nursing home to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional wrestler is something that I never thought anyone would even think of and I definitely didn't think it would become a movie. The journey of 200 miles taken by Zack and Shia's characters, and especially what happens to them in that journey, was truly something to be witnessed. The film does a great job of really pulling at your heartstrings and like I said before I was very invested in the film emotionally. It felt like the movie did a superb job of making both characters relatable in many ways and we as the audience can truly empathize with many of the characters in the movie making it 100 times better.

Cons: Unfortunately for Dakota Johnson, she really had no one to compare to in terms of acting. Compared to everyone else her character seemed extremely flat and emotionless which made her scenes very bland for me and made me want to see more of Zack and Shia even more. To add on to that, it felt as though the movie could have been a little bit longer as there are some things left unanswered.

Star Rating: 9/10

Final Thoughts: The Peanut Butter Falcon is a film that is extremely heartwarming and contains some of the best acting and best plot points of the year. Although some scenes are a little bit flat, the film is very rewatchable and is great for everyone.