Review: The Peanut Butter Falcon

The Feel-Good Film of the Year

By Chris Sabga

Release Date: August 23, 2019 – U.S. • Rating: PG-13 • Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama • Running Time: 97 minutes • Directors: Tyler Nilson, Mike Schwartz • Writers: Tyler Nilson, Mike Schwartz • Cast: Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, John Hawkes, Thomas Haden Church, Bruce Dern, Jon Bernthal, Yelawolf, Jake Roberts, Mick Foley

"The Peanut Butter Falcon" is a story about hopes and dreams; about the bonds of brotherhood and choosing who becomes family; about living your own life and not letting other people decide for you what you can and can't do or who you can and can't be.

Zak (Zack Gottsagen) is a young man with Down Syndrome who has no family and lives in a nursing home for the elderly because there's nowhere else to send him. His best friend there is Carl (Bruce Dern), who is his roommate and several decades older. Eleanor (Dakota Johnson) works at the home and genuinely cares for Zak, despite the bureaucracy and negligence she puts up with from her boss, Glen (Lee Spencer).

Zak worships a professional wrestler known as The Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church) and constantly watches and re-watches a worn out VHS tape featuring old wrestling matches and an advertisement for The Salt Water Redneck's wrestling school. With Carl's help, using the old tried and true method of soaping your body to squeeze through heavy metal bars, Zak plots his escape from the home to chase his dream of becoming a professional wrestler.

Along the way, Zak hides in the boat of a crab fisherman, Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), who is on the run. Their relationship at first is uneasy, but it soon blossoms into friendship, and friendship soon blossoms into brotherhood.

Tyler is down on his luck, struggling to make ends meet, and grieving the loss of his older brother (played by Jon Bernthal). He is being chased by two bad guys, Duncan and Ratboy (John Hawkes and Yelawolf), who make even The Salt Water Redneck's most villainous opponents seem tame by comparison. On top of that, he has to figure out how to navigate both the waters and the unexpected stowaway on his boat, Zak, who knows where he wants to go – The Salt Water Redneck's wrestling school – but needs a little guidance to get there.

Do they make it to the wrestling school? Does a blind man – helpfully named Blind Jasper John (Wayne Dehart) – baptize them in a lake? If you answered yes to both questions, you'd be correct – sort of. All of that is beside the point anyway. The heart and soul of this movie is in the relationship formed between Zak and Tyler. The most powerful parts of the film aren't in the dialogue, action, or conflict; they're in the quiet unspoken moments – a look of pride or concern, a brotherly embrace – shared between them.

It's a hell of a feature film debut for Zack Gottsagen, who proves that the only limitations are the ones we create ourselves, and it's quite possibly Shia LaBeouf's finest hour as an actor. LaBeouf's immense talent has been underrated and underappreciated over the years, but make no mistake about it, he is extraordinarily exceptional at his craft – and he showcases it yet again in "The Peanut Butter Falcon."

Thomas Haden Church is the last person I would've ever thought to cast as a wrestler, but he pulls it off beautifully – perfectly embodying the persona of a grizzled veteran whose best years in the ring may be long in the past but a spark still exists inside him. Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Mick Foley, two bona fide wrestling legends who appear in the film, know more than a thing or two about that!

Dakota Johnson also shines in a very sweet and tender but determined performance as someone who fights ferociously for Zak's best interests but doesn't always necessarily know how.

"The Peanut Butter Falcon" is a profound joy to watch – even if you don't like peanut butter, falcons, or professional wrestling.

Review: I Am Santa Claus

The Joys and Hardships of Becoming Santa

By Chris Sabga

Release Date: November 4, 2014 – U.S.

Rating: Not Rated

Genre: Documentary, Comedy, Drama

Running Time: 89 minutes

Director: Tommy Avallone

Cast: Mick Foley, Russell Spice, 

Bob Gerardi, Frank Pascuzzi, 

Jim Stevenson

As one of the Santas in "I Am Santa Claus" explains, to be a good Santa, you have to have "Christmas in your heart." Then the film cleverly cuts to footage of wild-eyed pro wrestler Mick Foley being thrown violently off the top of a cell. Foley's portrayal of unhinged madmen such as Cactus Jack and Mankind made him, in his heyday, the last person you would ever associate with a character as jolly and loving as Santa Claus. But that's the point. The man inside the Santa suit can come from all walks of life. As the movie shows, there are black Santas (I met one when I was 6, and he must have been the real Santa because he knew exactly what I wanted), Jewish Santas, and Muslim Santas.

There's also a gay Santa, which is an issue with some of the other Santas. As far as I'm concerned, Santa Claus is asexual once he puts on the suit. At no point have I ever thought about what Santa does with his candy cane outside of working hours.

Speaking of candy canes, one of the Santas uses a walking cane that looks exactly like a candy cane. It's one of the most creative visual puns I've ever seen.

There are four experienced Santas in "I Am Santa Claus." They are Russell Spice, Bob Gerardi, Frank Pascuzzi, and Jim Stevenson. The fifth, the aforementioned Mick Foley, is a rookie in training. His transition is shown throughout the film.

Becoming Santa is a much more complicated process than you could ever imagine. Santa's hair and beard have to be dyed the right shade of white, which is actually an arduous and painstaking process. But it goes beyond mere looks. A good Santa has to smell a certain way too. That means choosing the right cologne and avoiding foods and substances that would destroy the illusion.

These men don't just dress up as Santa, they are Santa.

In the case of Frank Pascuzzi, that's a literal statement. The Long Island native legally changed his name to Santa Claus. (He even has his own IMDb profile!) According to him, "Santa is better than Frank." Before becoming Santa, he had long black hair and tattoos – and no one wanted to go near him. Dying his hair white changed everything. It almost seems, in his mind, that Frank has become the character who has faded into the background and Santa has overtaken him as the real person.

The obvious parallels between Santa and pro wrestling are not lost on Mick Foley, who even says as much in a conversation with the late "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Just as wrestlers once upon a time had to become their characters 24-7, the same dedication is required to be Santa Claus.

Still, Foley's rookie year as Santa was probably easier than one of his earliest matches in wrestling, where he was bounced around the ring by a reckless Dynamite Kid.

The contrast between "I Am Santa Claus" and Foley's previous appearance in a documentary, Barry Blaustein's "Beyond the Mat," is startling. One of the final images in "Beyond the Mat" is of Foley's children crying their little eyes out after seeing their dad get hit over the head with a chair by The Rock a staggering eleven times. Near the end of "I Am Santa Claus," the sleepy joy of Foley's youngest son being visited by Santa at home is a much more touching – and far less violent – scene. I have to wonder if this was intentionally positioned as a redemptive moment for Foley – or at least his parenting. ("Beyond the Mat" director Blaustein is thanked in the "I Am Santa Claus" credits.) Whether calculated or not, it works and Foley seems like a good guy.

Almost as good as Santa.