By Grace Conley

SPOILERS AHEAD

“Surprisingly sweet despite how much Shia LaBeouf spits.”

The Peanut Butter Falcon is the perfect movie to lift your spirits. It’s a heartfelt and wholesome journey of two unlikely friends. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, it made me laugh and smile throughout. It’s a very cathartic movie with a very easy structure. The protagonist has a goal, the supporters help reach the goal, and then there are people trying to stop the goal from happening. It’s an easy movie to watch. It doesn’t challenge the form of film or make you feel introspective, but it’s really beautiful and it’s great to see a movie that has a person with down syndrome as the protagonist and it does not make it a negative thing, or something that necessarily holds them back.

This movie has very basic cinematography. I really appreciated the few pretty aerial and wide shots. Besides that, it’s pretty plain to look at.

The music score is also very lackluster and used sparingly. But the technical aspects don’t make this bad, it’s the story that shines through. 

I really love the story, but there are a few issues. For example the two main characters Zack and Tyler are traveling on a boat and on foot to Florida and somehow the “love interest” Elenor who is tracking them by car is making the drive the same time as they do. This does not add up. Also, Shia’s character Tyler has a side plot about him accidentally killing his best friend but it’s all told through silent, and quick flashbacks and it never really comes back around or ties to the rest of the story besides the fact that he is sensitive about friendship.

My least favorite part is the ending. It’s really abrupt and would have been much more effective if they took more time with it. They definitely had the room to stretch that scene as the movie is only an hour and thirty minutes. But in the end, this is an amazing feel-good movie with pretty great performances and a sweet story. I also love Shia LaBeouf so I am a little biased.

Verdict

8.7 out of 10