Win Win

“Win Win” stars Paul Giamatti as a beleaguered New Jersey store front lawyer and moonlighting High School wrestling coach, Amy Ryan as Mr. Giamatti’s wife, Jeffrey Tambor as his assistant coach and Bobby Cannavale as his best friend with a surprising performance by first time actor Alex Shaffer who plays a teenage wrestler. Burt Young (of Rocky fame) ably assists in this melodrama involving the pitfalls and tribulations of Mr. Giamatti’s character, his failing legal practice and the events that take place in his life and town. Based on a story by Joe Tiboni and co-written by Mr. Tiboni and Tom McCarthy, who also directed the film, this is a simple theatrical piece whose pace and editing are smooth and easy to view. Mr. McCarthy, whose other directorial triumphs include “The Visitor” and “The Station Agent”, brings the same pleasant quality of film watching and story telling to this film. Though not a giant in great movie making, this is a film worth seeing because it is honest and real with characters that are interesting and, most importantly, likeable. I give the film 3 stars with a “lose lose” if you pass it by.

Just Go With It

“Just Go With It” stars Adam Sandler, Jenifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker and Nicole Kidman in this remake of the stage play “Cactus Flower” written by Abe Burrows. Unfortunately, other than the medical profession being involved, any similarity to the Burrows creation and the film directed by Dennis Dugan is quite remote. Typecast in the role of good friend and office assistant to Sandler’s doctor character, Ms. Aniston plays her part well but the role is too lackluster to gain her any real acknowledgment. Ingrid Bergman played this part in the movie “Cactus Flower” to Walter Mathau’s dentist while Goldie Hawn played the role acted by Brooklyn Decker. The taking down of Ms. Aniston’s age (in comparison to that of Ms. Bergman’s) is an integral part of the reason why the Mathau, Bergman Hawn film was so much more enjoyable to watch than the present version. With most of the scenes occurring at the Grand Wailea Hotel on Maui, the film is pleasant to watch and would best be characterized, for those of you who can remember, as the B film accompanying the A picture. I give the film 1 and ½ stars with the caveat that one should be wary of any film where the real star is the set location.