By Shane Hernandez, Staff Writer
“The Peanut Butter Falcon” revolves around the character “Zak” who lives in a elderly home. His family sent him there because they could no longer care for him. As a result, Zak breaks free to pursue his dream of being a wrestler and learning from the great “The SaltWater RedNeck” (Thomas Hayden Church). A young caretaker named Eleanor (Dakota Johnson) that befriended Zak goes on a quest to find him. On Zak’s journey, he meets a young fisherman named Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) who guides him to SaltWater Redneck’s wrestling camp.
While this movie tugged on my heartstrings, the only thing I find it falls short on is an ending. If you’re an individual who doesn’t like their endings up to their own interpretation, it can be a very sudden and abrupt place to end Zak’s story. Despite these flaws, you’ll feel like you’ve never truly lived until you watch “The Peanut Butter Falcon”.
Zack Gottsagen made his big debut to the world with this film. Although he may seem nervous in his interviews and might struggle, he proves through the movie that his disability should not be in the way of who he truly is.
When I heard about “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” I was very interested in seeing it, until I heard the cast. Seeing that “Transformers” & “Indiana Jones” actor Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson from “50 Shades Of Grey,” in the cast, I was a little bit skeptical. But then I was blown away, as I was introduced to a film with one of the purest and most believable stories that I have seen in a very long time.
While there are some slight issues with the script supervision and editing, the strong narrative and heart that each actor brings seems to dismiss all of that. When it comes to script supervisor, it’s their job to make sure certain characters look the same direction as the angle was last cut along with any small details such as an object (such as a cup or pencil) are on the wrong side of the camera. Much of this can be evident in multiple scenes. However, it may have been proven difficult to do this when their lead actor does have down syndrome.
