Year Released: 2019
Written and Directed by: Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz
Starring: Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Bruce Dern, Thomas Haden Church
(PG-13, 93. min.)
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama

“Friends are the family you choose.” – Bruce Dern as Carl

It doesn’t get any better than this! Two “bandits” on the run battling officious bureaucrats, murderous thugs, an armed blind man, and a past that haunts each of them. An excellent ensemble cast keeps it heartfelt without being hackneyed, as they remind us how much we have to fight to keep dreams alive.

Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a Down syndrome youth abandoned by his parents, is forced to live in an old people’s home. There seems no other state agency to take care of him. With the help of his elderly roommate, Carl (an always excellent Bruce Dern), he escapes to pursue his dream to become a wrestler.

The escape itself is great. Carl, once an engineer, uses his skills to pry the bars from their window apart – the bars, a tangible symbol of how this “home” is more like a prison, especially to young Zak. There is just enough room for the chubby Zak to get through, but only if he strips down to his underwear and greases himself up. Even then he barely makes it. And then the greasy, underwear clad Zak streaks away into the darkness, finally finding refuge under a tarp in an old boat…

Which just happens to belong to Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), who soon finds himself on the lam as well. Once a partner in his brother’s crabbing operation, Tyler is now an out and out thief, stealing other crabbers’ catches since he has been (unfairly, he thinks) forced out of the business upon his brother’s death. After a confrontation with Duncan (John Hawkes) and Ratboy (Yelawolf), the two sleazy crabbers who forced him out of the business, an enraged Tyler burns $1,200 worth of their equipment at the dock.

He makes it to his boat just in time to start up his motor and flee with them in hot pursuit, only to discover the sleeping Zak under a tarp in the midst of the wild chase.

Thus begins the Huckleberry Finn like voyage down the byways, where they meet some of the same types that Huck and Jim did in Mark Twain’s immortal saga.

One is a blind hermit who shoots at them, but finally discovers their character from listening carefully to their voices:

“There are sheep in this world and there are wolves in this world. And I know that you two boys are just two weary travelers who have lost your way. So, we are going to clean you up right with a baptism.” - Blind Jasper John

Zak accepts the river baptism and has his symbolic rebirth, but Tyler demurs. In a way he has already had his dive into spiritual water when he decided to take Zak along within.

Of course, there are also some sly allusions to other films as well. One is reminded of the journey of Tom Cruise and his autistic savant brother (Dustin Hoffman) in 1988’s Rain Man. And as in that film, where having Rain Man with him changes Cruise, having Zak with him brings about a change in Tyler, too.

Furthermore, the film is almost an American version of that great BBC feature, Marvellous , which is also about someone not letting his limitations get him down. Here Zak’s obsession with wrestling takes the place of Neil Baldwin’s love for English football (American soccer). And like Neil in Marvelous, Zak jumps, knowing the net will be there.

Zak is persuasive in his own charming way. “Maybe we could be friends and buddies... bro dogs... and chill. Have a good time!” he incants. But it is not his charm, but his vulnerability that changes Tyler’s mind about letting Zak stay with him.

Zak has confessed to Tyler that he can’t swim, so when Tyler sees some kids taunting and almost forcing Zak to jump off a high pier into the deep water below, he knows he, too, must take the dive and save him.

And a deep dive it is. One of rebirth almost. Tyler just keeps going on to save Zak from that moment on, thereby, saving himself as well. He teaches Zak to swim, to shoot a gun, and to relish his freedom. And little by little, Tyler starts to get that joy back in his life as well.

Of course, Zak also works his healing powers on a few others along the way, a few of whom are supposed to be his caretakers or teachers.

One is Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), a lovely late entry to their journey down river. She is Zak’s social worker, enforced with returning him to the home before his absence is officially reported. Her job is on the line, too.

But Zak, relishing in his newfound freedom, isn’t about to return with her, and he firmly ends her plan. Only when she joins the two on their makeshift boat, do we find the source of Eleanor’s secret sadness.

And then there is Clint, the Salt Water Redneck, whose wrestling school becomes Zak’s, Tyler’s, and now Eleanor’s quest. Their arrival there is, shall we say, anti climactic at most. But as Browning told us, “the best is yet to come.” Different Drummer, however, will not give the thrilling climax away.

Yes, we observe plenty of evil and heartache in The Peanut Butter Falcon, but this is not some European film – seeped in sadness, marinated in melancholy, and determined to force us to wallow in the muck of their transatlantic depression.

Peanut Butter Falcon recalls the best of American film making, where a spirit of confidence, optimism, and courage can change a person and his little part of the world right along with him.

Enjoy and rejoice. Not to be missed.

–Kathy Borich
🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Trailer

Film-Loving Foodie

Tyler and Zak (“little man on the lam”) are “2 bandits on the run” without much money. So they subsist on a cheap high protein snack that travels well – a jar of peanut butter.

It turns out Zak loves the stuff, and he’s not at all bothered by having it day after day after day. He even eats it off a stick that he finds – like an impromptu Popsicle.

It’s his go to food and more than that.

It’s part of his dreamed about wrestling persona, Peanut Butter Falcon. Zak uses a charred stick and peanut butter to make his warrior face paint.

But we can do better than that. Noting too complicated. An all time favorite – behind both Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raison in Different Drummer’s opinion. And these cookies are super special – more peanut butter and less flour – and they have what we all crave. Our Very Peanut Butter Cookies are soft, thick and deliciously crumbly.

Enjoy.

Very Peanut Butter Cookies

Packed with double the peanut butter, these very peanut butter cookies boast a dense flavor, remarkably soft texture, thick center, and a deliciously crumbly edge. Chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour to prevent excess spreading. – Sally

Ingredients

· 2 and 1/2 cups (310g) all-purpose flour

· 1 teaspoon baking powder

· 1 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 1 cup (230g; 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

· 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

· 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar

· 2 large eggs, at room temperature

· 2 cups (500g) creamy peanut butter*

· 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

· 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar for rolling

· optional: 1/2 cup (65g) finely chopped peanuts

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs and beat on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, then beat on high speed until combined.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, add the peanuts, if using. Dough will be thick and soft.

4. Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour in the refrigerator (and up to 2-3 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, though, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.

5. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

6. Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and then roll the balls in granulated sugar. Use a fork to make a crisscross indent on top of each. Bake each batch for 10-12 minutes until very lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.

7. Remove from the oven. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

1. Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 5. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls, without sugar coating, freeze well for up to 3 months. Let frozen cookie dough balls sit on the counter for 30 minutes, roll in sugar, indent a crisscross pattern with a fork, then bake for an extra minute. No need to completely thaw. Click here for my tips and tricks on freezing cookie dough.

2. Peanut Butter: It’s best to use a processed peanut butter like Jif creamy or Skippy creamy. I do not suggest using natural style, oily peanut butter. Crunchy peanut butter adds peanut chunks as well as a more crumbly texture. I prefer to use creamy in this recipe.

Sally’s Baking Addiction.com