Kaleidoscope's newest is on Armory Films's & Lucky Treehouse's production of "The Peanut Butter Falcon".  Directed & written by Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz, the movie stars Shia LaBeouf, Zack Gottsagan, Dakota Johnson, John Hawkes, & Thomas Hayden Church.  Rated 'PG-13', it has a running time of 1 hr., 37 min.

The film begins with an exposition depicting Zak (Gottsagan), a 22-year old with Down's Syndrome, living in an assisted living facility in Richmond, Virginia.  His resides with his septuagenarian roommate, Carl (Dern), & his main caretaker is Eleanor (Johnson).  He obsessively dreams of becoming a professional wrestler; he hopes to study at his hero's, Salt Water Redneck's (Church), wrestling school.  He knows about Redneck from continuously watching Redneck's wrestling videos.  He finally decides to take action and, after 1 failed attempt, he succeeds in escaping his facility with help from Carl.  He stows away on a fishing boat for the evening.  Transition to Tyler (LaBeouf), a fisherman & petty thief, who tries to sell some stolen crabs at a local crab shack but is turned away because he doesn't have a license.  After confronting & getting into an argument with a couple of local crabbers, Duncan (Hawkes) & his buddy, Tyler sets afire $12,000 worth of their equipment.  Chased by Duncan & his friend, Tyler escapes on his boat, the boat in which Zak is hiding.  Tyler discovers Zak & tries to leave Zak behind once they travel far enough away & reach land.  Before leaving him, Tyler sees an adolescent bullying Zak & trying to force him to go into the water even though Zach implores that he cannot swim.  Tyler comes to Zak's rescue, agrees to let Zak come with him, & that he will take Zak to Redneck's school.  Thus ends Act I as Duncan & his buddy and, separately, Eleanor, search for the duo.

This is directors' & screenwriters' Nilson's & Schwartz's first full-length film, & it is an admirable debut.  It is clear that they have a affinity for the central character of Zak.  They direct the disabled young man with sensitivity & precision.  Their treatment of him is never fawning; they know the type of performance that they want from him, & they achieve it.  The dialogue that they ascribe to Zak is believable & credible.  The situations are commonplace & not out of the ordinary.  Based on how Zak is depicted, one can believe that his wrestling obsession could be undertaken the way that it is.  Nilson & Schwartz have taken 3 archetypes--the quest, the road movie, & the buddy film--and have created an enjoyable excursion with plausible characters.  The script is alternately dramatic & comedic, and both are given their due.  Indeed, they have even given Tyler & Zak some Huck & Jim qualities that enhance their trip. The acting, as usual, is very good.  LaBeouf continues n his road of shedding his 'bad-boy' reputation that he displayed after his initial successes with the "Transformers" franchise, "Eagle Eye", & "Disturbia".  He is switches between being tough & empathetic, & the audience can relate to him.  Gottsagan is terrific in a role that extends beyond that of his disability.  The prejudice & suffering that he had felt during his life is plain to see; yet, his character goes past that as he truly displays three-dimensional qualities.  Johnson creates an arc to her character that leads from an employee merely doing her job trying to retrieve a runaway to someone who sees Zak as someone much more than that.  She becomes a willing accomplice in his quest.  Hawkes has his 'bad-man' persona down pat; there is no one better.  Church takes a one-note character & adds some layers that make him more sympathetic than he probably should be.  Nigel Bluck's cinematography contains some shades that give a Twain-esque quality to the journey.

I give "The Peanut Butter Falcon" 8 out of 10 nuggets.  This is a charming, heart-warming diversion that will make you smile & feel good.  Lord knows we need this during our national divisive time.  You can either rent the film or, if you have Amazon Prime, you can see it free on Prime Video.  Check it out!