Win Win
Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: March 18, 2011
7.7
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 87 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
72
Mixed:
13
Negative:
2
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9
HunterMApr 8, 2011
The power behind this movie is in how it reveals the lengths to which normally honest, educated, hard-working middle class Americans have to go in this economy just to keep paying the mortgage. It's a morality tale, a tale of sin andThe power behind this movie is in how it reveals the lengths to which normally honest, educated, hard-working middle class Americans have to go in this economy just to keep paying the mortgage. It's a morality tale, a tale of sin and redemption, and a slice of life look into the hearts of those (most of us) who are just trying to get by and do the best for those we love. Paul Giamatti is excellent, Bobby Canavale is hilarious, but it's Amy Ryan and the new kid (playing Kyle) who really steal the movie. A must-see.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
bethesdabobMar 25, 2011
This movie is ok--realistic and plausible, but it certainly doesn't deserve stellar reviews. Paul Giamatti is very good and believable as a small town lawyer who isn't really making a go of it, through no fault of his. The other actors areThis movie is ok--realistic and plausible, but it certainly doesn't deserve stellar reviews. Paul Giamatti is very good and believable as a small town lawyer who isn't really making a go of it, through no fault of his. The other actors are very good too, but there's nothing exceptional about this film. I wish I hadn't spent almost $9 to see it; it was worth about half that. Amusing, a good way to fill some time, but not a soul-replenshing, satisfying film.… Expand
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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5
chanduttApr 23, 2011
Went to this movie intending to love it because I respect Paul Giamatti so very much. Sorry, not a good movie. First 60% is worth a watch and perhaps worth part of the price of admission, but that last 40%.....take your smart phone so youWent to this movie intending to love it because I respect Paul Giamatti so very much. Sorry, not a good movie. First 60% is worth a watch and perhaps worth part of the price of admission, but that last 40%.....take your smart phone so you have something to do. This looks like a very poor effort in the cutting room with scenes that don't make any sense, being presented in odd ball order. Watch for poor, demented Leo to go home in one scene, and be back in the nursing home in the next with no transition.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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3
NewyorkerApr 20, 2011
I am so tired of seeing Paul Giamatti play the husband of lovely talented women. This must be male wish fulfillment casting. Although well acted, this is a very boring, predictable film, sentimental film. It would play much better on TV.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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0
joelschnickAug 24, 2011
I am writing this review because this is the worst movie I have seen in months and I am one of Giamatti's biggest fans so it pains me to say so. To be fair, I went into this movie expecting it to be funny... or at least contain a bit of darkI am writing this review because this is the worst movie I have seen in months and I am one of Giamatti's biggest fans so it pains me to say so. To be fair, I went into this movie expecting it to be funny... or at least contain a bit of dark humor and what I got was melo-drama capital C, capital R, capital A, capital P. Lastly, bethesdabob wrote "This movie is ok--realistic and plausible, but it certainly doesn't deserve stellar reviews." and then gave it a 10 out of 10. Dementia much?… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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4
RikiegeDec 22, 2012
The film is very plain and boring.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
amheretojudgeJan 7, 2019
To Wake Up Without Any Hit.

Win Win McCarthy's grant that comes along with family's business that is to be dealt with, has too much amount to fulfill your needs. This surprising delightful family drama has the heart in its right place, noTo Wake Up Without Any Hit.

Win Win

McCarthy's grant that comes along with family's business that is to be dealt with, has too much amount to fulfill your needs. This surprising delightful family drama has the heart in its right place, no matter how much obliged it is to the semantics of the structure or how mechanically complex it grows, McCarthy's schemes to keep a broad smile on your face throughout the journey is an appreciative and successful job. With light humor and breezier conversations, it keeps us at ease with warm cozy chemistry of the characters.

McCarthy's world never takes charge, if there is an option directing towards the south it cannot ignore it and this is his ultimate weapon, for even at its peak there is a sense of maturity or immaturity of the characters to keep a socially pleasant expressions on the face and move accordingly. Addition to that, the unexpected turns and revelations in its trajectory is bewildering enough to bite your nails. The stakes might be immensely high, yet its projection of these imprinted plans, no matter how much less-cinematic is subtle enough to poke you off the edge, there is no need for any push.

Giamatti in his middle aged and no so likeable character, is to be rooted for, from his inadequacy to smile or to clear out his intentions, he is a force to be reckoned with. And challenging him equally, lies Ryan's beautiful performance, as an overprotective mother and a fellow companion of Giamatti, she balance the film on a safer scale. The supporting cast like Tambor, Cannavale, Young and Shaffer are holding onto their parts convincingly. Win Win is a big win as a family drama pulsating across a breathtaking match and McCarthy's bluff of not delivering the last end of the track leaves you a bit wiser in the end.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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8
MarcDoyleDec 18, 2011
A really good movie that feels so genuine. The interaction between Giammati and the wrestler is highly original, and the wrestler's relationship with his mother is not something we've seen before. I love Amy Ryan, and she nails her part.
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7
ShiiraMay 8, 2011
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. With his team mired in last place, Morris Buttermaker(Walter Matthau), the beer-swilling coach of the most incompetent Little League baseball team imaginable, is not above using desperate measures to improve his players' fortunes. Buttermaker wants to win, badly, and he knows that the struggling team's chances rests in the hands of his pretty daughter's ability to recruit Kelly Leak(Jackie Earle Haley), so he drives Amanda(Tatum O'Neal) to the arcade where negotiations take place over a competitive game of air hockey. The girl loses, much to her father's considerable irritation, especially since she has to date the power-hitting righty blessed with speed an a cannon for an arm, as part of the terms of the deal. But despite the apparently fruitless outcome, Kelly, who looks old enough to shave, is still joining the team, exactly what the rough-edged boy wanted all along, haunting the periphery of the ballpark like he did from atop his motorbike on a daily basis. It's a win-win situation for all three parties involved. Partly because he smokes, Buttermaker expresses a leeriness about Amanda's upcoming social engagement with Kelly, since only punks up to no good smoke, which is why in "Win Win"(a film that bears a passing resemblance to Michael Ritchie's "The Bad News Bears"), Jackie(Amy Ryan), due to concerns over her young daughter's safety, locks the basement door on Kyle(Alex Shaffer), associating the unwelcome guest's nicotine habit with Eminem. Far from being a pool cleaner, Mike Flaherty(Paul Giamatti) practices the law, but on account of the downward turn in economic growth, clients are hard to come by, a deriving materialization that could put the firm and middle-class lifestyle that his profession provides at risk. As a sideline gig, Mike oversees a losing high school wrestling team which the filmmaker introduces at the outset of "Win Win" with transient scenes showing the coach's umbrage toward his young student-athletes as a sort of punctuation for everything that's going wrong with the counselor's life. Every bit as bad as the Bears, the filmmaker gets no comic mileage and levity from the talentless New Providence High wrestlers, whose incompetence, rather than being a consistent source of easy howlers, only serves to exacerbate Mike's already-heightened financial anxieties, for the reason that the lawyer's failure to drum up business through a fresh infusion of new clients is compounded by his failure at coaching a solitary win. The filmmaker understands that our economy is no laughing matter. On paper, "Win Win" has the makings of an inspirational sports movie, especially during the intervening time when Kyle transforms the Pioneers overnight into a squad other schools have to reckon with, and he himself, an up-and-coming champion seeking redemption. "Win Win", however, narratively speaking, is much more sophisticated than, for starters, Howard Becker's "Vision Quest", inasmuch as the feel-good genre to a large extent gets installed by the ambitious filmmaker as a McGuffin. Strapped for cash, Mike commits a potential disbarment-causing breech of ethics, when in his capacity as the legal guardian of a client(Burt Young), he manipulates the dementia-afflicted old man into taking up residence at a nursing home, while pocketing the money with the court's understanding that Leo would be supervised from his own house. In actuality, "Win Win" is a moral thriller, epitomized by the pointed existence of a faulty boiler whose clanging noises represents the cacophony in the lawyer's tell-tale mind. Just like the furnace, Mike knows that the scam has the potential to blow up his practice in an instant. How Kyle performs at the wrestling tournament is not the film's climax; it's merely a byproduct of the explosion that occurs when Cindy(Melanie Lynskey), Kyle's mom, steps forward to claim her father's monthly stipend, and finds the bombshell in the court transcript. It all but subjugates the wrestling subplot to irrelevancy. The film's real and pressing subject is how greed isn't exclusive to just the fabulously wealthy. The deregulation of ethical standards has become a state of mind that encompasses us all, even a nice guy like Mike. The filmmaker, above all else, makes a salient point about money being a drug, a narcotic that is every bit as potent as the one Kyle's mother went to rehab for. "Win Win" uses this dialectic to witty use. Comparable to the scene in Ryan Fleck's "Half Nelson"(a wrestling hold, it should be noted) where Dan Dunne(Ryan Gosling) tells his student's uncle, a drug pusher, to back-off from Drey(Shareeka Epps), despite the fact that the teacher himself is a user, Mike encourages Cindy to leave her son alone, even though the corrupt lawyer is in no real moral position to do so. He makes more errors than the Bears shorstop Tanner Boyle. "Win Win" is not "The Bad News Pioneers"; it's "Mike Flaherty: The Smartest Guy in the Room".… Expand
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6
nutterjrMar 9, 2012
Portrayed by many as a funny film, this is a otherwise indifferent drama graced with the exceptional charisma of Paul Giamatti, who holds it together elequantly enough to feel like a win win proposition for a DVD night at home.
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8
RyanGeeMay 31, 2011
Thomas Mccarthy's Win Win achieves a somewhat tour de force trait for a comedy, creating a laughable film with characters the audience truly cares about. This Sundance favorite tells the story of lawyer and part-time wrestling coach MikeThomas Mccarthy's Win Win achieves a somewhat tour de force trait for a comedy, creating a laughable film with characters the audience truly cares about. This Sundance favorite tells the story of lawyer and part-time wrestling coach Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) who is dealt with a struggling firm and a hopeless wrestling team. To make some extra cash to support his family, he becomes the guardian of his dementia-bound client through some questionable business actions. After he takes on this task, he stumbles across his client's grandson, Kyle, a star athlete in the form of a troubled teenager. Just when Kyle brings success to Mike's wrestling team, Kyle's mother - fresh out of rehab - threatens to hinder everything.

Win Win succeeds in mostly avoiding cliche aspects of unrealistic happiness. With that being said, the film feels natural and heartfelt, the script develops characters that audience feels a sense of pathos for. The characters's development unfolds over the course of the film, and the audience feels as if they are there every second of the way. To balance these potentially saturated dramatic elements, Win Win has a large sense of humor. The film's laughs do not feel forced, as the hilarity comes from the subtlety of the script: it relies on quiet and sentimental humor. But that is not to say that Win Win still executes some ridiculous yet humorous one-liners.

Due to its commendable script and talented cast, Win Win is everything a comedic-drama should be, and more. It is touching, believable, and makes us root for the underdogs in life. It is a well crafted film, albeit predictable. Even though the conclusion does follow the cliched feel-good solution, the film is overall a splendid film that keeps us rooting until the end. Grade: B+… Expand
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10
TonyApr 26, 2011
I honestly can't imagine how someone could dislike this film. It is funny, warm, weird, and overall just incredibly enjoyable. Every character seems genuine and authentic, which is a testament to both the superb cast and the incredibly smartI honestly can't imagine how someone could dislike this film. It is funny, warm, weird, and overall just incredibly enjoyable. Every character seems genuine and authentic, which is a testament to both the superb cast and the incredibly smart and witty script. Easily the best film of the first quarter of 2011.… Expand
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10
noonanApr 3, 2011
This movie was such great fun. Paul Giamatti at his best, and a 'spot on' supporting cast. The humor was dry, refreshing, and definitely added to the unusual story line. It was independent film making at its best.
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7
wishmasterSep 11, 2011
History was taken very well, a little common argument, but moving with a good message, emphasizing the double standard, in short, the cast very well, although on occasions some scenes were a little uncomfortable and that was a little threadHistory was taken very well, a little common argument, but moving with a good message, emphasizing the double standard, in short, the cast very well, although on occasions some scenes were a little uncomfortable and that was a little thread of the movie, but overall very good movie :D… Expand
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9
perfectdApr 24, 2011
Good film, good story line and great acting. I really don't laugh often at movies but this got me at least a few times. Good drama and good fun. Enjoy it while you can!
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9
CBZApr 2, 2011
I think its a great movie to watch on a weekend with friends and family. It is full of small moments of laughter and the acting is great. The story will not blow your mind but instead represent the day to day life of a New Jersey family thatI think its a great movie to watch on a weekend with friends and family. It is full of small moments of laughter and the acting is great. The story will not blow your mind but instead represent the day to day life of a New Jersey family that comes across an unusual situation.… Expand
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10
DC19Apr 24, 2011
If you are able to see this film, do it. New comer Alex Shaffer acting is quite funny, and Giamati is great as always. By the end of the movie you will feel like you just made some friends that you will never see again.
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4
MorriBeyAug 13, 2011
Lose. I wanted to stop watching it but the girlfriend was glued to the fairy story that was Win Win. Its melodrama. Its a saturday matinee. Its humor without the humor. Its a story without a story. Its annoying.
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9
RJSmooveApr 3, 2011
Win Win is genuine, authentic, natural and believable. Okay, so all those adjective basically mean the same thing, but this movie is so much funnier than most of today's Comedies. None of it felt forced. I cared about the characters. PaulWin Win is genuine, authentic, natural and believable. Okay, so all those adjective basically mean the same thing, but this movie is so much funnier than most of today's Comedies. None of it felt forced. I cared about the characters. Paul Giamatti is such a great actors, and he had an equally great supporting cast. Fantastic movie.… Expand
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5
glenoldenApr 30, 2011
Paul Giamatti is always a pleasure. And to watch how the arc of his moral dilemma is played out is fascinating in this excellent film. It's comforting to see an all too familiar middle class crisis assuaged in an amusing and non-condescending way.
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7
BamaFalstaffMay 28, 2011
"Win Win" is an honest, good movie that, unfortunately, left me wanting more story. I really enjoyed Paul Giamatti's performance, and the supporting cast is also wonderful.
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10
mgrkJul 8, 2011
This movie is about real people dealing with real life issues and dilemnas. Nothing is sugar coated, which is so refreshing. I really liked this film. The characters are all believable & the acting was perfect.
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9
hoops2448Sep 24, 2011
I read a review for Win Win that described it as "soul crushingly clichéd" and I have to admit that the ending plays like the end of a Nicholas Sparks novel (except no one dies......I think). However this may be the only problemI read a review for Win Win that described it as "soul crushingly clichéd" and I have to admit that the ending plays like the end of a Nicholas Sparks novel (except no one dies......I think). However this may be the only problem with the film.
The story of a small town lawyer struggling to get enough work to pay the bills while volunteering as a high school wrestling coach on the side because of his love of the game. The best thing about the film is its view on the world with Paul Giamatti's Mike embracing the fact that everything is not black and white. This is in direct contrast with the boy that Mike and his wife Jackie (Amy Ryan) take in who is Played by Alex Shaffer, who sees things as either good or bad even if he won't admit it to himself. The way Shaffer's Kyle and Mike interact is what makes the film as they both seem to understand one another and grow with Mike regaining some of his innocence and Kyle becoming more cynical with them in a way, meeting in the middle. The learning curve in this film is tempered by some of the best black comedy I have watched in a long time with both Jeffrey Tambor and Bobby Cannavale lightening the mood of a sometimes bleak story. The biggest surprise in this film however is how good Amy Ryan and Alex Shaffer are with them both providing a incredible sense of sincerity in a film based almost entirely around a lie. Overall it is a film that I won't forget in a long time but is spoilt by a Hollywood desire to provide a "happy ending", which is a true shame considering the quality of the rest of the film.… Expand
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8
JTKelleyAug 10, 2012
Thomas McCarthy once again takes an incredibly small-scale story and delivers a heart-felt message, while Paul Giammatti delivers a stellar performance and character actor Jeffrey Tambor steals just about every scene he appears in.
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8
Nesbitt10Mar 1, 2013
We live in an era that produces films not by standards of quality, but quantity. We have endless sequels and unspeakable remakes year after year. My God-- a remake of "Red Dawn"? Who was fighting for this to be remade? So when a subtle andWe live in an era that produces films not by standards of quality, but quantity. We have endless sequels and unspeakable remakes year after year. My God-- a remake of "Red Dawn"? Who was fighting for this to be remade? So when a subtle and delightful film like "Win Win" comes around, it gives you hope in Hollywood, and reminds you of the greatness of the film medium. "Win Win" isn't a straight-up sports movie--though it does offer a few vivid scenes of triumph and loss on the mat. It doesn't obey the conventional rhythms of the genre. Tom McCarthy's "Win Win" sees Paul Giamatti star as Mike Flaherty, a struggling lawyer and part-time high school wrestling coach. Only trying to make ends meet financially, Mike makes some ambiguous business deals that ultimately lands him a star-studded wrestler without parents. Being the considerate family they are, Mike and his wife Jackie Flaherty (Amy Ryan), take this confused teenager in. One thing leads to the next as the addition of Kyle (Alex Shaffer), on this seemingly hopeless wrestling team, proves to be successful. The once tension-filled family gets put to rest with the transformation in personality of Kyle. Then one day, Kyle's mother shows up just fresh out of drug rehab. Kyle despises her and she has merely returned into his life to pick up a long awaited paycheck from his grandfather (plot logistics that reveal to much of the story for me to explain). She makes plenty of threats, which evidently puts everything created by the Flaherty's and Kyle, in jeopardy. "Win Win" is a small--though emotionally touching character study. It's grounded and rarely steps out of the director's comfort zone. McCarthy has a very precise and intricate directorial style that makes all of his character human beings who are easy to relate to. Still, none of the film's accolades could not be given without help from the slew of great performers in display here. Amy Ryan as the hard-nosed mother, Jeffrey Tambor and Terry Delfino as assistant wrestling coaches with two completely different styles, Burt Young as the grandfather who just wants to go home, and Melanie Lynskey as Kyle's mother who has returned purely for the money--these performers are very good. However, it's Paul Giamatti and first time actor Alex Shaffer who give the film its gravitas. Giamatti is quite simply one of the best working actors we have in the entertainment business. Yet, it could be Alex Shaffer who gives the most impressive performance. Having never acted on screen before, he manages to give Kyle some emotional empathy. Shaffer's performance appears to be given so effortlessly, and by the end of the movie, he is completely convincing in the role. "Win Win" gathers all the strands (the illegal trusteeship, the wrestling team, the hazardous rapts boiler, the wrestling, the rehabbing mother, Jackie finding out about her husband's misdeeds) and wraps everything up a little to neatly. Everything clicks into place--and life seldom has uncomplicated endings. In his short career (The Station Agent, The Visitor), McCarthy has established himself as a craftsman of conventionally quirky pictures that are entirely about ingratiating themselves with the audience. He wins this fight.… Expand
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8
audreythomas25Mar 4, 2016
WIN WIN makes Tom McCarthy three-for-three. Grabbing the affection from the audience is what he wants, and dear reader, he can't lose.

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7
geewahJan 5, 2021
Giamatti is great in this heartwarming, funny and genuine movie. Has a few soft spots and the script could of been more taut but still a good movie.
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