I saw the preview for "Win Win" when I went to "Kill the Irishman" and knew I would need to see the indie comedy with Paul Giamatti.

Giamatti is Mike, a struggling lawyer and high school wrestling coach who ends up caring for his client's grandson, Kyle (Alex Shaffer), who turns out to be a pretty great wrestler. Mike hasn't been exactly honest in his business with Kyle's grandfather, and that turns out to be a problem when Kyle's mother gets out of rehab and learns what's going on.

Click the play button below to watch the movie's trailer:


I knew that the movie would be a comedy with some drama, but I was prepared for it to be much more dramatic than it was. I never trust those indie comedies to actually be comedies. Let's be clear: This is not your Vince Vaughn, one-liner, laugh-a-minute comedy. But there are some funny parts, some laugh out loud moments.

The movie was well-casted. Giamatti does well in everything he does, and his stressed-out, small-town lawyer was no exception. Amy Ryan (who I know best as Holly from "The Office") was great as his supporting but occasionally exasperated wife, and perfect as a mother who is protective over her kids and others. Shaffer was great in his film debut. He was the typical high school kid -- someone who is just along for the ride but incredibly passionate about a few things, including wrestling. Shaffer reminded me of several people I knew in high school, who looked like they were out for trouble but were really good, smart, talented students struggling to find their niche -- and excelling when they did.

Click here to read The Associated Press review of "Win Win."

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl