The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

Born out of a collaboration between the writers/directors and the actor who all desired to make a film centering the actor living with down syndrome. Setting his tale as a retelling of Huckleberry Finn, they have put together a completely entertaining movie which showcases the talent of all three as film makers to watch. But in some ways they undercut this by making the film more about the people around Zack than about Zack himself.

The Peanut Butter Falcon is funny and entertaining all the way through. It manages to be a crowd-pleaser without patronizing its audience or its subject. Falcon is beautifully shot and its story is told efficiently and with a spirit of adventure which is infectious.

But a film like this faces a specific challenge. It is easy for the film to end up being more about LaBeouf's character, making him a hero for taking Gottsagen's under his wing. It shows that even with all the input from Gottsagen as part of the creative process, our ableist culture still makes us focus on the average guy over the guy with down syndrome. As much as Falcon tries to centre Gottsagen and making him into the hero his character wants to be we still see LaBeouf as the character with the true journey.

And it's too bad because young actor Zack Gottsagen truly makes the film. He gives the kind of performance that makes a new star.  Hollywood likely won't have a lot of rolls for him which is too bad because he shows so much potential here. But the film centers the interactions of LaBeouf and Johnson. Even as it argues for Gottsagen's character's agency.

As a rather well made film it is, I guess, a step forward. But perhaps it just shows how much further we still need to go.

The Peanut Butter Falcon
Starring: Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Bruce Dern, John Bernthal, Thomas Hayden Church
Writers/Directors: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz