The Peanut Butter Falcon

“What’s Rule One?”

“…Party?”

“No, not party.”

I’ve always been a little dismissive of the “feel-good” comedy genre, but in a year when I’ve needed to feel good more desperately than ever before, I’ve decided to rethink many of my biases.

And you know what? The Peanut Butter Falcon delivers on both promises of a “feel-good comedy.”

Zack Gottsagen plays Zak, a young man living in an assisted-living home dreaming of adventure and, of course, becoming the next great American pro-wrestler. After a particularly daring escape plan, Zak finds himself on the lam, making him a perfect partner of circumstance for Tyler, played by Shia LaBeouf, fleeing his own demons and also some pissed off fishermen. They’re trailed by Eleanor, an employee of Zak’s assisted-living home, who is desperate to safely return Zak, but *looks into camera* might just learn a little something along the way.

Yeah, this movie resembles those Lance crackers you had as a kid: peanut butter on the inside, with a light dusting of cheese. In fact, my least favorite thing about the film is how one-dimensional the antagonists come across: violent brutes chasing Tyler, an unfeeling assisted-living facility director, and a black-hearted wrestler who’s not just playing the heel. The morality outside the main cast is essentially black and white.

That said, the movie has a lot of heart, and can’t be faulted too harshly for wearing that heart on its sleeve. Zack Gottsagen has terrific comedic timing and wins over the audience in his first scene. LaBeouf is terrific, bringing a kind of southern-fried Han Solo energy to his role and showing off the talent that made Honey Boy such a treat. And Dakota Johnson shows solid range as a well-meaning woman caught between responsibility and the risks of freedom.

The film was pitched to me as a 21st century Huckleberry Finn. In execution, I see the comparison: two unlikely friends on a journey by raft becoming family. But while Twain’s novel dives deep into social commentary, The Peanut Butter Falcon keeps laser focused on its main characters and just how much it means to have someone believe in you. And with respect to Mr. Twain, Falcon has the better jailbreak scene.

3.9 raft escapes out of 5. As of 10/5/20, it’s streaming on Hulu. Check it out.