Review | ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon’

Supercharged by a bold script and light humor, The Peanut Butter Falcon soars gracefully as one of the best films of the summer. Zac (Zack Gottsagen) has Down syndrome (as does Gottsagen) and has been wrongly placed in a care home. He decides to escape and comes across Tyler (Shia LaBouef), an outlaw on the run for setting fire to his fisherman competitor’s equipment. The outcasts path merge, and Tyler makes it his mission to help fulfill Zac’s desire of becoming a professional wrestler. As their friendship grows, Tyler and Zac end up filling the void each harbor due to estrangement from their respective families. The heartfelt story is painted by exceptionally raw performances from both LaBeouf and Gottsagen. Overall, The Peanut Butter Falcon shines a poetic light on the importance of aspirations and how “friends are the family we choose.”