Timing, Strategy Behind McCarthy's Win

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The Station Agent, The Visitor and Win Win persuaded everyone that director-writer Tom McCarthy is a skillful provider of the same kind of adult relationship or family dramedy, more or less, that Alexander Payne churns out. For my money Win Win, which I first saw at Sundance 2011, is in the same class as The Descendants. They're both about families in transition, and about ethics, character, parent-child relations and working through hard stuff.

Win Win director-writer Tom McCarthy -- Thursday, 12.1, 12:35 pm, Four Seasons hotel.

The reason Win Win isn't in the current award-season "conversation", of course, is the fact that (a) Fox Searchlight has distributed them both, and (b) FS made a decision in late 2010 to open Win Win in March 2011, presumably in order not to have two family dramedies playing during the fall-holiday season.

FS obviously decided to bank on The Descendants as the award-season thoroughbred, primarily for two reasons -- Payne has acquired more of an accomplished auteur and prestige factor over the last decade, especially since Sideways, and The Descendants has George Clooney in the lead. Win Win's Paul Giamatti is a solid adult draw (for people like me, at least) but Clooney is a top-tier, across-the-board star.

As mature and satisfying as Win Win is, Fox Searchlight also had reason to expect that The Descendants might deliver a little more bing-bam-boom with critics and Academy voters.

How do the two films stack up when you apply the old Howard Hawks rule about a successful movie having three great scenes and no bad ones? You tell me.

I sat down with McCarthy at noon today and talked it all out for...oh, roughly 25 minutes or so.

I wrote last January that Win Win "is warm but not sappy, smartly written, very well acted and agreeable all the way. McCarthy is always grade-A, and this is more from the same well. It isn't quite as good as Little Miss Sunshine -- it's an 8.5 to Sunshine's 9 -- but it's a wise, perceptive and affecting little family-relations flick that works just fine. If only more films labelled 'family-friendly' were as good as this.

"Paul Giamatti delivers another one of his dependably solid half-Gloomy Gus/half-wise man performances. But for my money Amy Ryan is the most enjoyably on-target. She's so solid, so real. And Alex Shaffer definitely holds his own.

"Costars include Jeffrey Tambor, Bobby Cannavale and Margo Martindale. McCarthy wrote the screenplay, based on the story by himself and Joe Tiboni. Michael London (Sideways) produced with McCarthy, Mary Jane Skalski and Lisa Maria Falcone.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on December 1, 2011 at 9:59 PM

comment #1

pchu says ...

Still one of the best movie of the year. I like Win WIn more than the Descendants, I may not be the only one.

If it was released in October and not March, it would be in the conversation for awards consideration.

Posted by pchu at December 2, 2011 3:40 AM

comment #2

MarkVH says ...

I don't agree that Win Win is quite at the same level as The Descendants (which cuts somewhat deeper, at least for me), but it's a wonderful movie and I'm happy you keep beating the drum for it. Release-wise, it got seriously shafted. Personally, I'm thrilled that we got one year that gave us two wonderful, heartfelt adult comedies, both of which seem to have found audiences.

Posted by MarkVH at December 2, 2011 4:02 AM

comment #3

MarkVH says ...

Oh, and I'll add that Win Win is about ten times better than Little Miss Sunshine.

Posted by MarkVH at December 2, 2011 4:22 AM

comment #4

bobbyperu says ...

Win Win is most certainly at the level of The Descendants and in my book a notch above. I've seen The Descendants three times and it seems to diminish very slightly in repeated viewings. It's like splitting hairs, really, because both are lovely. But I appreciated Giamatti's morally conflicted character at least as much as Clooney's beleaguered dad. Win Win also doesn't aim for profundity as much as the latter film, and that gives it even more punch in my book.

Posted by bobbyperu at December 2, 2011 4:23 AM

comment #5

Krazy Eyes says ...

I just got done watching Season 5 of The Wire and, irrational as it is, I'm going to have a hard time rooting for McCarthy in any regard for a while. I hated his character that much.

What was the deal with McCarthy and Game of Thrones? He was the 1st director hired to do the pilot but then he wasn't mentioned anywhere in the series itself -- including the 1st episode that he supposedly directed a lot of. Was he fired?

Posted by Krazy Eyes at December 2, 2011 4:48 AM

comment #6

Mark says ...

Win Win earns its moments, and there was some question about how it'd end. The Descendants depends on narration the entire first act, along with actor tears and audience baggage for the third act.

Posted by Mark at December 2, 2011 5:16 AM

comment #7

K. Bowen says ...

Prefer Win Win. A shame Amy Ryan isn't in the race. I thought the landing was a little soft. Other than that, quite engrossing.

Posted by K. Bowen at December 2, 2011 6:08 AM

comment #8

Alboone says ...

I actually like that movie a lot. One of Giamatti's best performances. And Amy Ryan...wow. I'd swim the Atlantic bare ass naked to have a wife with her moxie. She was tough, but fair. A ballbreaker, but not so much where it was off-putting. That one is definitely in my top ten for the year.

Posted by Alboone at December 2, 2011 6:26 AM

comment #9

Dan Revill says ...

Yeah, I really enjoyed The Descendants, but Win Win is a better film. Emotionally I found it to be much more satisfying.

Posted by Dan Revill at December 2, 2011 9:13 AM

comment #10

eddie mars attacks says ...

I liked THE DESCENDANTS just a little more than WIN WIN. Something about Jeffrey Tambor's part in WIN didn't work for me. Still, it is one of the best I've seen this year.

Posted by eddie mars attacks at December 2, 2011 9:30 AM

comment #11

Colin says ...

One of my top three favorite films of the year. It's a shame that Giamatti won't be in the conversation, but maybe one of the critic's groups will include him instead of trying to predict the Oscars.

Posted by Colin at December 2, 2011 12:39 PM

comment #12

Matthew Starr says ...

Win Win is easily better than both Descendants and Little Miss Sunshine.

Posted by Matthew Starr at December 2, 2011 12:48 PM

comment #13

BobbyLupo says ...

Bobby Canavale really deserves to be in the Oscar conversation.

Posted by BobbyLupo at December 2, 2011 2:03 PM

comment #14

JTag says ...

Thrilled to see so much love for Win Win in the comments section. It pains me that Amy Ryan hasn't been in the supporting actress conversation. Her line delivery of "We love you" is so honest and beautiful in the film. I took a group to see Win Win back in April, and virtually the same group to The Descendants this past Tuesday, and we were far, FAR more impressed and moved by WIn Win. It totally stinks that Searchlight has thrown their weight behind The Descendants.

Posted by JTag at December 2, 2011 3:28 PM

comment #15

the400blows says ...

Both were excellent but I give the slight edge to The Descendants. I liked the permutation theme in TD.

Posted by the400blows at December 3, 2011 10:37 AM

comment #16

stanley says ...

Right...Win Win. I forgot that was this year. For me it has the edge over The Decendants and I am not a solid Giamatti fan though he is starting to win me over. Thanks for giving that film a mention.

Posted by stanley at December 4, 2011 8:47 AM

comment #17