Alright, it's time. My absolute favorite movie of the year, including other gems such as Rocketman, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Joker. I could gush over what I love about this film for hours, but I promise everyone, I'll keep this tangent to a tolerable length. Well, hopefully.

The Peanut Butter Falcon is a comedy/drama starring Shia LaBeouf as Tyler, Zack Gottsagen as Zak, and Dakota Johnson as Eleanor. Now, I will preface this by saying Shia LaBeouf is my absolute favorite actor working today. Does that make me biased? I guess you all can decide that, but I'd like to think not. Either way, I'd like to think his performance here was tremendous from any viewpoint. And not just his, but Zack and even Dakota Johnson, who I certainly gave a lot of flack to for her Fifty Shades of Grey performances.

I'm afraid I'm not totally sure what I want to focus on with this film. I'm torn between breaking down different scenes, focusing on the performances and themes, or a mashup of both. I guess I'll just start rambling and see where it goes from there!

I guess my favorite part of the movie is Zak and Tyler's relationship. There are no cliche ulterior motives, or Tyler breaking off from Zak because the going gets rough or whatever, it's a pure brotherhood between to misfits who find each other. It's one of my favorite portrayals of family of all time on the big screen, because it feels real. You really see as they start to bond how they really get along, and there is no condescending tones from Tyler, and Zak never feels or looks out of place with him. Zack and Shia you can just tell enjoyed their scenes together so much, and they genuine joy leaks into their characters so much you can't help but feel the same way.

I also really enjoy Eleanor's character, and her place with the boys. She's not antagonistic, or uncaring for Zak, she's just doing her job. It's another sort of cliche that gets upended, especially after she joins up with the boys. There is no betrayal to the big bad nursing home, Eleanor just has a care for Zak and wants him to be safe. Again, a tremendously pure and real feeling relationship. I truly believe Zack elevated this movie so much just being himself, and brought the best out of everyone. Thomas Haden Church as the Saltwater Redneck, aka Chris, is also great. The film again subverts your expectations with him, as he isn't forced or convinced to be the hero Zak sees him as, but makes the decision on his own to be this great character for this kid.

The cinematography of this film is something else I really enjoyed. I don't believe it was anything new or especially unique, but it was very well done and only elevated an already fabulous movie. So many shots are just perfectly executed, such as the rednecks searching for Tyler in the swamp after he sets fire to their pots. Just wanted to sort of recognize this, as cinematography is not something I generally take note of, and the fact that I did here feels significant to me.

I will say one thing about this movie that I wasn't the biggest fan of, which is the ending. It wasn't so much that it felt rushed, although you could certainly argue it was, it just felt sudden. I didn't mind the timing and such of Tyler getting attacked, I actually enjoyed the shock of it, but the true ending itself moreso. I think it could've used ten more minutes, more or less, to sort of let the situation sink in, and let the resolution hit just as hard for what is really a tearjerker of an ending. It didn't take away from my enjoyment of the movie or its characters at all, it was just a bit jarring.

So, let's stop there. I'm actually keeping this one pretty short, purposefully. I understand that my rants are sometimes just a lot to take in at once with their length, and with this movie I want as many people as possible to give it a shot. So let me hear what you all think! If you've seen the movie, I sincerely want to listen to your opinions and reviews on it! Negative or positive! Let's talk about it!