THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON (2019) FILM REVIEW

***

12A, 97 Mins

A saccharinely schmaltzy, but infinitely charming coming-of-age drama.

There's something about Shia LaBeouf I just don't like. Something I can't quite put my finger on.

Whether screaming "JUST DO IT" or proving to have the acting range of a tantruming toddler in the tragically tedious 'Transformers' (2007-2017) movies, he exudes a hot-headed obnoxiousness that is mission impossible to shrug off.

It's ironic that this impetuous dislikeability is what makes him quite so likeable in 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' (2019) in a role which - like his terrifically impulsive turn as John McEnroe in 'Borg vs. McEnroe' (2017) - allows him to embrace his rash quirks.

Here he stars as Tyler; a slurry, sweary redneck fisherman who scrapes by stealing crabs from violent crabbers who regularly give him brutal beatings for his thievery.

Having burned $12,000 of dock equipment, he goes off on the run on a stolen speed boat only to find hiding in it is Zack (Zack Gottsagen) - a 22 year old with Down's Syndrome who has escaped from the retirement home he was being cared for in.

Zack dreams of pursuing a career as a professional wrestler with ambitions of meeting his all-time idol - the fictional "Salt Water Redneck". Witholding the truth about this idol being the stuff of fiction, Tyler vows to take him there and train him in the craft of wrestling while outlawed in the swamp-smothered depths of the American countryside. 

As time goes on, they develop a bond impossible to break...

The debut of directorial duo Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, this is a saccharinely schmaltzy film that utterly sugarcoats the struggles of Down's Syndrome along with any sense of danger or jeopardy in favour of furthering its story's redemptive arc.

The concept of a low-level thug offered vindication through supporting another's disabilities is the kind of emotionally manipulative claptrap which yearly has me questioning my sanity when reading the OSCAR longlist. Like the best "awards-bait" movies, though, 'The Peanut Butter Falcon's success rests entirely on its beguilingly believable performances.

While my head could have done with less syrup slobbering over the film's deep south setting, my heart was firmly balled over by the infinitely charming chemistry of LaBeouf and newcomer Zack Gottsagen. The former whacked me around the head with disbelief that he could be so good in such a familiar role while the latter touchingly establishes himself as one of 2019's best new talents to watch.