- I will gladly take this opportunity to infer a trend from three points to conclude that Thomas McCarthy is a master of setting up parallels in his films. In The Station Agent, the comparison was between a dwarf that everyone sees as a freak and his friends who are more freaky in less obvious ways. In The Visitor, my favorite of McCarthy's films, the parallel is between how a man treats unexpected guests and how the government treats them. In Win Win, it's all about people who deserve a second chance, despite their very different life circumstances.
- One such character is a quiet young man named Kyle. Portrayed in a completely convincing and natural manner by real-life state wrestling champion Alex Shaffer, Kyle was once an immensely successful high school wrestler in Ohio. Lately, however, his life has lost its direction, and he's even gotten into some trouble with the law. When he arrives in New Jersey, it's nominally to visit his grandfather (Burt Young), but it's pretty obvious that getting away from his unstable mother (Melanie Lynskey) motivates his travels as well.
- The other character who really needs a second chance is Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti). Flaherty is an affable sad sack of the type that Giamatti has built his career out of, but his lagging law practice has driven him to take financial advantage of Alex's grandfather. As luck or karma would have it, however, Alex comes into his life, and it isn't long before his wife Jackie (Amy Ryan) is insisting that they take care of the boy. Maybe Flaherty's volunteer job as a wrestling coach will be just what both of them need to get their lives back on track.
- Although he hasn't made many films, McCarthy has established himself as a director who can take a seemingly sappy premise and convert it into a very good movie. When you think about it, that's a real accomplishment. Admittedly, he gets considerable help from a stable of talented character actors, both in starring roles (Giamatti, Ryan, and Shaffer are all excellent) and in the background (Jeffrey Tambor, Bobby Cannavale, and David W. Thompson), but his skillful direction also goes a long way to making these films work. The overall impression is that the audience has caught a glimpse of the weirdness of the world in a way that makes it all seem perfectly normal.
