We are sometimes presented with circumstances that strike us as mutually beneficial. If only.
II.
If only Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) can convince a judge that Mike has his client Leo Poplar's best interests in mind, then he might be appointed Poplar's legal guardian. And collect the $1500 monthly guardianship fee. Mike and his family need this $1500 badly, as Flaherty's small New Jersey law practice is in lousy financial shape.
Leo Poplar (Burt Young) is an elderly man struggling with the first stages of dementia. As it seems Poplar has no family or friends to turn to, the judge is persuaded that Mike become his guardian. Mike then promptly moves Poplar into a seniors' residence, despite Poplar's strong objections to leaving his own home.
But Mike has the authority now to put his plan into action. Effectively washing his hands of Poplar, Mike is set to collect his monthly cheque. Poplar gets the residential care he needs; Mike gets the money he needs. A win-win deal for everyone, Mike has convinced himself.
III.
Win Win (Thomas McCarthy, 2011) also features another storyline about Mike's part-time work as the coach of a high school wrestling team. The two narrative ends are joined by the introduction of Leo's teen grandson Kyle (Alex Shaffer) into the plot. Storytelling drives this movie, as character and situation inform and resolve each other. The story turns are engrossing, and moments of comic relief are well-placed.
As to Mike Flaherty's tidy little deal for himself, it continues to splash around, down there in the film's undertow. Until Win Win comes to an end.
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