Good Time

Good Time

This is the only movie with Robert Pattinson that I've seen other than Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This movie is not like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

As a brother (as in sibling), it's always fun to see a new brother filmmaking duo show up (it'd be cool for there to be a sister duo as well, but I'm sure we'll get one soon), and the Safdie brothers seem to be a pretty unique brother filmmaking duo. I haven't seen their other films (Daddy Longlegs and Heaven Knows What) but if Good Time is any sort of basis for their style, those movies are probably pretty out-there. The way the brothers split up their roles appears to almost be random for each movie, but for this one Josh Safdie took the helm on directing and co-writing, while Benny Safdie performed as the second-billed role, helped direct, co-edited, and, possibly the craziest part, held the boom when he wasn't acting. They're clearly used to a DIY style of filmmaking that makes the griminess of the world they're exploring all the more authentic. It feels more like a tour of a bad neighborhood led by an insane person than a crafted story. In a good way.

Everyone in this movie gives a very good performance, including Robert Pattinson (who clearly loves diving into this desperate, shady role), Jennifer Jason Leigh (who's only in two scenes but is still a standout as always), Taliah Webster (who's a natural and hopefully we get to see more of), and Buddy Duress (who I simply demand we see more of), but Benny Safdie is my definite favorite because his character is so sympathetic without ever even trying. He doesn't forcefully tug on heartstrings by making sad puppy faces, he just tries his best to tough out the terrible circumstances that he's lived through and is continuing to live in because that's how he's been taught to deal with it his whole life. He's also mentally disabled, which Safdie subtly plays with care while still clearly conveying what's going on and not letting that define the character as a whole. He's the light in this dark and seedy world, and he's what really transcends the story into something more unique than a typical heist-gone-wrong movie.

The film is very Pulp Fiction-esque in that every time a door opens the story might take a completely different direction from where it seemed to be headed. I won't go into spoilers, but the movie does this a lot and if anything I wish it had done it more. I have essentially the same complaint for this film as I did with Your Name., which is that it feels like there were missed opportunities for it to go much deeper into the story and characters than it ultimately does. I wish it took even more turns, went in even weirder directions, and ultimately just shot farther than the final product ultimately did. It's still interesting and has some very memorable moments, but it had the potential to become something truly fantastic.

That being said, it's still a wild ride with some great performances and fun specifics that help it stand out from the rest of the popular "dark and gritty" movies. It's not one of my personal favorites, but it's definitely still worth a watch.