The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
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A young man with Down syndrome and a wayward fisherman form an unlikely bond while on a journey to a wrestling school.
The story
The plot follows a young man with Down syndrome who escapes from an assisted living facility and befriends a wayward fisherman on the run. As the two men form a rapid bond, a social worker attempts to track them. The story follows their journey as they travel together, with the fisherman teaching the young man various life skills while they navigate the challenges of being on the run from those seeking to return him to the facility.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Zak, a young man with Down syndrome, escapes from a state-run care facility to train as a professional wrestler under his hero, the Salt Water Redneck. Simultaneously, Tyler, a man fleeing after a dispute with rivals, is also on the run. The two meet and embark on a journey to a wrestling school in North Carolina. Zak's caretaker, Eleanor, finds them and joins them to prevent Zak from being sent to a more severe institution. They are eventually confronted by Tyler's rivals, but Zak defends them. Upon reaching the school, Tyler convinces the retired Salt Water Redneck to mentor Zak. During a match, Zak faces a tough opponent. Just as Tyler is knocked unconscious by the rivals, Zak successfully performs a move he was told was impossible. The film ends with the trio traveling to Florida to start a new life together as a family.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tyler Nilson; Michael Schwartz
- Writers
- Tyler Nilson · writer; Michael Schwartz · writer
- Cast and characters
- Shia LaBeouf · Tyler; Dakota Johnson · Eleanor; John Hawkes · Duncan; Zack Gottsagen · Zak; Thomas Haden Church · Clint / The Salt Water Redneck
- Genres
- Southern Gothic; buddy comedy; drama
- Themes
- friendship; overcoming adversity; found family
- Tone and mood
- feelgood; adventure
- Setting
- North Carolina and Florida
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; underdog story; buddy film
- Source material / true-story basis
- Huckleberry Finn
- Reception
- The film was met with positive reviews and was described as a feelgood adventure with outstanding performances.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 28; PostTrak · score: 4.5 · scale: 5
- Awards and nominations
- Narrative Spotlight Audience Award · South by Southwest · Win; Audience Award for Narrative Feature · Nantucket Film Festival · Win; Best Narrative Feature · Nantucket Film Festival · Win; Truly Moving Picture Award · Heartland Film Festival · Win; Audience Choice Award · Crested Butte Film Festival · Win; outstanding debut performance · Crested Butte Film Festival · Win; Audience Award · Deauville Film Festival · Win; Rising Star Award · Palm Springs International Film Festival · Win; Ken Hanke Memorial Tar Heel Award · North Carolina Film Critics Association · Win
- Production trivia
- The film is a modern retelling of the Huckleberry Finn story.; The soundtrack features a mix of bluegrass, folk songs, and spirituals.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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