Win Win

• Main
• Wikipedia
• All Subpages
• Create New

Attorney and volunteer High School wrestling coach Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamati) is running out of money, with both his house and his office needing repairs. Out of desperation, he arranges to become the guardian of a rich, elderly Dementia patient to get the $1500-a-month stipend from the state and puts the old man in a nursing home paid for by the client's own estate. Then, the old man's teenage grandson shows up. At first sullen and uncommunicative, Kyle later warms up to Mike's family and starts wrestling on Mike's team - as it turns out, he's amazing on this. Then his mother shows up, fresh from rehab...

Tropes used in Win Win include:

• Amoral Attorney: Debatably Mike, another attorney calls him out on this.
• Berserk Button: For Kyle, his mother, even seeing her can cause a sudden and jarring emotional reaction.
• Call Back: What Mike's doing in the ending is mentioned earlier.
  • Also, Mr. Poplar referring to a park as his park is explained later in the movie.
• Down to the Last Play: Down to the last wrestler, if he doesn't get pinned, their team wins the match.
• Emo Teen: Kyle.
• Housewife: Jackie Flattery, Mike's wife appears to be one.
• Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Mike buys a pack of cigarettes and lights up next to the Dumpster behind the store when he gets really stressed out. Kyle smokes but quits when he joins the team.
• Illegal Guardian: Techincally, Mike to Mr. Poplar.
• Lovable Jock: Kyle is an incredible athlete that could possible get scholarships, his teammates all love his enthusiasm and commitment though instead of being threatened by him.
• New Transfer Student: Kyle, originally from Ohio and even has a tattoo of the state of Ohio, moves in with Mike's family in New Jersey.
• Put Me In, Coach: One of the friend's Kyle makes wants to wrestle at Kyle weight class, he agrees and Kyle convinces the coaches to let him in even though he has never wrestled before.
• The Cast Showoff: Alex Shaffer (Kyle) had never acted before but was the 2010 New Jersey state high school wrestling champ.
• Underdogs Never Lose: Averted with Mike's team being the underdogs and not having won a match all season, and only winning one by the end.
• Unnecessary Roughness: Subverted As Kyle, not his opponent beings to fight dirty after his Berserk Button is pressed.