Director Tom McCarthy is some kind of wizard. In his hands, simple stories (The Station Agent, The Visitor) take on the gritty texture and emotional heft of life as it's lived, not contoured by Hollywood. Win Win, which he wrote with Joe Tiboni, is McCarthy's latest gem, hilarious and heartfelt with a tough core that repels all things sappy. Paul Giamatti gives a master class in acting as Mike Flaherty, a New Jersey lawyer specializing in elder care and, lately, in cutting corners. With the economy squeezing Mike's life with wife Jackie (the ever-wondrous Amy Ryan) and their two kids, he takes on the guardianship of near-demented Leo (Burt Young) with no intention of earning his monthly fee. When Leo's junkie daughter, Cindy (Melanie Lynskey), drops in from Ohio looking for Leo's cash, Mike fights back.

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But who's more selfish? Mike uses Cindy's alienated son, Kyle (Alex Shaffer), to boost his case and the losing high school wrestling team he coaches with his friend Terry (a superb Bobby Cannavale). Newcomer Shaffer is an expert wrestler, and it shows; so does his natural talent. His scenes with Giamatti floor you. Nothing fancy — that's not McCarthy's style. Neither is phony rah-rah. This movie wins you over, head and heart, without cheating. It's just about perfect.

“Ambling Alp”

The "Ambling Alp" was the nickname of the six-and-a-half-foot-tall Primo Carnera. Though the song is named after the Italian-born 1930s heavyweight champion, Yeasayer are actually paying tribute to boxing legend Joe Louis with this first-person psychedelic dance-rock tune. “I was always interested in writing a song that had boxing mythology in it,” Yeasayer’s Chris Keating said. “It’s pretty fascinating: There were so many amazing characters, and it was so closely entwined with 20th century history.” Yeaseyer also invokes German champ Max Schmeling and hints at the historical significance placed on the historic bouts between the Nazi-era boxer and the African-American Louis.