Paul Giamatti scores as a high school wrestling coach/ law yer whose unethical scheme to make a few bucks begins to unravel when he becomes entangled with a client’s family in the comedy “Win Win.”
Tom McCarthy, who wrote and directed “The Station Agent” and “The Visitor,” has a rare ability to make familiar situations seem fresh in an era when many so-called indie films have become as predictable and formulaic as their big-budget brethren.
The bills are piling up at Giamatti’s less-than-thriving suburban New Jersey practice, so he volunteers (for a hefty monthly fee) as the legal guardian for a wealthy but senile client (Burt Young) whose daughter can’t be found. Though he promises a judge the old man will get his wish of continuing to live in his home, Giamatti quickly moves him to a nursing home.
This works until an angry teenage boy with dyed blond hair — well-played by newcomer Alex Shaffer — claiming to be the old man’s grandson turns up at the home Giamatti shares with his wife (the ubiquitous Amy Ryan) and two young children.
It turns out the boy’s mother — the client’s long-missing daughter — is in rehab. Giamatti persuades his wife (who knows nothing about the scam) to let the teen stay for a bit while getting to know a grandfather he’s never met. From Giamatti’s point of view, it certainly doesn’t hurt that the youngster is a champion wrestler, and that Giamatti’s team has never won a match.
McCarthy is also a terrific director of actors, and Bobby Cannavale is wonderful as Giamatti’s flamboyant best friend who offers to help out with the coaching while he navigates his way through his own midlife crisis. David Thompson is a standout as a geeky member of the squad who’s given encouragement by the newcomer.
The wrestling scenes are especially well-handled, but just when you think you know the familiar direction where “Win Win” is headed, the teenager’s mother (Melanie Lynskey) turns up with a lawyer (Margo Martindale) in tow to up the emotional stakes.
It’s a bit less good than McCarthy’s earlier films — Jeffrey Tambor has a large, superfluous role that abruptly disappears, and Ryan, a fine actress, makes a less than entirely convincing spouse for Giamatti. This one is a crowd-pleaser nonetheless.