Speaking of Paul Giamatti (as I did regarding American Splendor below), I caught a matinee of Win Win yesterday.

Giamatti plays a lawyer/wrestling coach in a small town in New Jersey with a terrific wife (played by the also incredibly talented Amy Ryan), cute kids, slightly odd friends, and a moral dilemma.

Win Win is the type of intimate drama that I favor, but it doesn’t lend itself to plot description.  This little picture has comic overtones (think Little Miss Sunshine), but I still think of it as an intimate drama with an indie aesthetic.

Bottom line, though, I’d probably want to see anything that Thomas McCarthy writes and directs.  His other two directing credits are Station Agent and The Visitor.  They are both wonderful films, but The Visitor stands out as my favorite film of 2007.

If you haven’t seen The Visitor, do yourself a favor and check it out.  Be careful, though, because there are several films with this title.  Get the one directed by Thomas McCarthy and starring Richard Jenkins (in what you’ll no doubt consider a standout performance).

Note:  Yes, Thomas McCarthy and Amy Ryan both starred in The Wire, episode for episode the best television series ever.