On the podcast this week, Steven and Sean are going on a thrilling, backwoods adventure with our new best friend and becoming the wrestlers we always dreamed we would be in the 2019 film from Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, The Peanut Butter Falcon.
We could all learn a thing or two about how to be decent people from Zak. All he ever wants to do with his life is become a pro wrestler and be the best family he can be to the people for whom he cares. No backhanded nonsense. No lying. Nothing but enthusiasm, empathy, and love. If he’s not the ideal we should all strive for, then I don’t know who else is worth emulating.
“Swell” might not be a weighty enough word to describe him, but it’s certainly a nice and appropriate one. Zak is just so damn swell.
You know who else is swell? Tyler and Eleanor. Tyler because he wants Zak to live up to his full potential and Eleanor because she wants to protect him from harm. They’re both wonderful because, by the end, they don’t see Zak as someone with a disability, or even someone who’s less capable. They see him as a friend, and they give him the love he deserves.
That’s another thing we should all be so lucky to receive.
This is a movie that has a sweetness about it. Its sweetness is also likely to sneak up on you. There are moments of gripping danger, along with antagonists who ridicule Zak for thinking he’s somehow less than they are. There are moments where you’ll think all is lost. You may even shout at the screen or let loose a few tears (which we’d completely understand). By the end, though, you’ll feel that golden light of having just watched something exceptional.
This film cares. This film shows truth and love. Of course, this film also follows the number one rule: PARTY!
(Recorded on February 01, 2021)
Links to Stuff We Mentioned:
The Peanut Butter Falcon - IMDb
The Peanut Butter Falcon trailer - YouTube
FKA twigs Sues Shia LaBeouf, Citing Abusive Relationship - The New York Times
Shia LaBeouf opens up about his mother’s rape, says he has PTSD - USA Today
Sexual abuse in the American film industry - Wikipedia
Lawless | More Movies Please! - Libsyn
