When learning the plot of “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” a reader may think it’s not a real movie — because no one in their right minds would take such incongruous elements as crab fishing, professional wrestling and Down Syndrome and combine them in a heartwarming, Mark Twain-esque comedy-drama.
However, that’s exactly what the writing and directing team of Tyler Nilson and Mike Schwartz have done for their feature debut. And this weird concoction somehow works, thanks in no small part to the acting chops of Shia LaBeouf and the charm of newcomer Zack Gottsagen.
Gottsagen plays Zak, a young man who, like the actor, has Down Syndrome.