Just when you think it may be impossible to combine Joe Swanberg’s signature lo-fi improvisation with a mainstream narrative, “Win It All” proves otherwise. The avatar of a desperate gambler can be an illustration of how one simply attempts to break even with looming debts, while paradoxically creating an even worse situation. With a false sense of victory in sight comes the recurring refrain of “Why Not Keep Going?”.
In many ways, it is the closest Swanberg has gotten to bridging the gap between his signature style of film-making and a recognizable storyline for general audiences. Despite knowing that it will more likely than not end in disaster, this spiral of gambling raises tension within many movies, including Win It All alike.
The protagonist is haunted by his debts, struggling to come out to even ground and leave with a clear conscience. Nevertheless, continuing the roll of the dice has the potential to elevate him from the lowly depths he was in before. Below, you will find out how.
Brief Intro & Plot
- Genre: Comedy
- Release Date: 2017
- Director: Joe Swanberd
- Running Time: 1h30m
- Star Cast: Jake Johnson, Keegan Michael Key, Kris Swanberd, Rony Shenom
- IMDb: 6.2/10
Jake Johnson, known for his role as Nick Miller in New Girl writes and stars in this tiny independent film about a gambler who tries to rebuild his life. His nice performance doesn’t come to an attractive product that doesn’t know what he wants to be.
His character is Eddie Garrett who agrees to take care of keeping an acquaintance’s eye on a bag while he is serving a prison sentence. Tempted by curiosity, he decides to open it and discovers that it is full of money. Many people would certainly prefer Overwatch betting to play with high stakes. However, it is still crucial not to forget about bankroll management and play responsible, even when your pockets are full of cash. That is where Eddie goes wrong.
Even though the deal is simple: he has to keep the bag until his owner gets out of jail in six months and he will take a $10,000 well-deserved prize. For Eddie’s insolvency, it’s a perfect scheme.
Realizing the debt he had built up and unable to face it on his own, he confided in his brother Ron (played by Joe Lo Truglio, “Brooklyn 9-9”) for aid. Having inherited a gardening business from their father, the two had a strong bond. It was time to get back on his feet.
Another crucial character that played a role in his way to recovery was Eva (played by Aislinn Derbez), with whom he found an engaged connection – a great support system in the form of an individual who wanted to see him do well. Little by little, all the money he’d lost was returned.
Eddie Garrett vs. Other Swanberg’s Protagonists
As in all these works and projects, the protagonist is expected to do badly. Easy, Digging For Fire, and Happy Christmas – all three of those projects also featured Jake Johnson, whose cheeky grin and expressions make him a natural fit for Joe’s usual fixation on bumbling characters suffering from arrested development.
There is a good intention. Make a movie on the subject that is different from the others. Where the protagonist is not beaten up “so that he understands.”
Those of us who watched “New Girl” find it attractive to see Jake Johnson repeat his role as Nick Miller in a movie. A lovable, funny loser, who laughs at misfortune and who falls sympathetic to his surroundings. It’s as if Jake Johnson had sent to hell the pretense of creating a character from scratch and had thrown himself into blackmail. It’s not something that’s wrong per se if the movie has some kind of message.
Conclusion
To top everything up, “Win it All” doesn’t have it all. It gives us a hurried, tasteless, unnecessarily happy and unexpectedly abrupt ending. The direction of Joe Swanberg, historical director of the mumblecore and numerous Netflix products, co-writer of the script and eternal secondary or tertiary actor seeks the intimacy of these independent products and is perhaps the most successful thing in this film.
Fact for the future, find out who pays the checks on Netflix because he is clearly a tremendously generous being. All things considered, we must admit that it’s a reasonable outcome for a film produced exclusively for this platform – where Joe recently did a full season of his observational comedy Easy, further trying to hone the challenge of funneling his ragtag style of filming into more accessible material too cater to the audience
