By Hal Brown
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My partner and I decided that we'd find a good alternative to watching Donald Trump's misnamed town hall on CNN and watch something uplifting on TV. "The Peanut Butter Falcon" turned out to be worthy of being a great escape not unlike the plot of the book and movie by the same name. The story involves a great escape not by a group of POWs but by a young man basically imprisoned in a nursing home.
Here's what some of the reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes write about the movie:
- A tender and often funny heartwarmer with loads of charm, personality, and humanity.
- The importance of the family you make, rather than the one you're given, is at the heart of this low-budget independent American feature that just happens to have two enormous Hollywood names on the marquee.
- The Peanut Butter Falcon makes a strong case for the value of sentimentality.
- It might be pretty optimistic in its wholesomeness, but whats the point of the movies if they cant be? Especially in a film that is committed to its faithful and hopeful representation for a community that is almost never shown on screen whatsoever.
- Peanut Butter Falcon excels as a story of simple kindness.
- Swept up in those bayou waters, we all root for Zack and happily accept whatever good fortune the writers provide for him.
The movie begins with the escape shown below. The character Zak, has the same name as the actor playing him Zachary Gottsagen, who has Down's syndrome like the actor does in real life.
Zak is living in a nursing home and due to two thwarted attempts to escape has been labeled a flight risk. His last attempt, enabled by this roommate Carl, played by Bruce Dern, helps him in his third and successful escape (below screen grabs from trailer).
Since this is a feel good movie it shouldn't be a spoiler to reveal that he with his partner Tyler, played by Shia LaBeouf, Zak not only overcomes threats to life and limb to actually fight a match as the Peanut Butter Falcon in a local competition where he battles against a villainous cruel opponent twice his size.
This morning I watched "Morning Joe" and saw the most outrageous clips from Trump's CNN appearance. Seeing them was plenty to endure. It was better than enduring 70 minutes of Trump spewing his lies and venom.
This is some of what Joe Scarborough had to say:
“Morning Joe” co-host Scarborough ripped CNN and Trump for a “virus of lies” as Trump peddled falsehoods on live television about the 2020 election, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, which he called a “beautiful day.”
It was “a disgraceful performance” and “showed the corrosive effects of Trumpism over eight years,” said Scarborough.
The “most shocking part,” Scarborough said, was the audience “who cheered on a president who tried to overturn American democracy, an audience that mocked and ridiculed the woman who, a jury of her peers, Donald Trump’s peers, found had been sexually assaulted.”
Our own breaking point might have come when many in the audience applauded his saying he'd pardon most of the J6 prisoners, below:
The crowd also cheered and clapped when he insulted E. Jean Carroll.
It is also possible that Trump gave prosecutors new evidence for all three ongoing criminal cases (see article). This Salon article also describes how what he said about E. Jean Carroll makes a new case for her to sue him for defamation. If she saw him call her a "whack job" which prompted the audience to laugh I imagine this would have hurt.
I am pretty sure that had we decided to watch CNN instead of "The Peanut Butter Falcon" rather than rooting for the good guys and experiencing inspiration we would have been feeling frustrated and angry.
CNN deserves all the excoriation they are now receiving for giving Trump the opportunity to spew his hateful lies. For example:
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We are happy we decided to spend our evening enjoying our home cooked delicious filet mignon dinner with the first baked potato we've had since we began a low carb diet the day after New Years, and watching "The Peanut Butter Falcon", rather than enduring the Trump debacle.
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| Our filet mignon, zucchini and yellow squash, crispy skinned baked potato with butter, sour cream and chives dinner. |
Rather than feeling pleasantly sated after diner I think we'd have had cases of dyspepsia.
Addendum: Here's another feel good movie we watched a few days ago: A Man Called Otto.
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