Directors: Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky
Writers: Thomas Bezucha, Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarksy
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, and Beverly D’Angelo
Synopsis: Life for New England realtor Hildy Good begins to unravel when she hooks up with an old flame of hers from New York.
The Good House, based on Ann Leary’s book of the same name, won’t impress viewers who are looking for something complex or, dare I say, cinematic. But if you just want to curl up in front of a giant screen and enjoy something not too complicated and not too terrible either, then it may do the trick. There are far more egregious rom-coms out there that are either overtly sentimental or don’t work. This one works, simply because of its lead performances from Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline, but it’s not without its flaws.
One of its main problems is how it treats the subject of alcoholism. Our main protagonist, Hildy Good (Weaver), is an alcoholic. She drowns her sorrows with wine (to which she justifies herself by saying it’s “not really drinking” by consistently breaking the fourth wall to the audience) in the evenings and doesn’t remember what occurred the following day. Alcoholism is a difficult subject to talk about in film, and the movie doesn’t treat it in a thoughtful, or emotionally poignant, light. Good’s problem with alcoholism is riddled with cliché after cliché, and becomes, at some point, quite silly to watch, because it doesn’t have anything to do with the main plot!
It’s almost as if this was one of the main themes in the book the filmmakers tacked on as an afterthought instead of making the audience understand Hildy and her family’s perspective. The next problem is how none of the supporting cast has anything remotely interesting to do, which is a shame, because look at the talent on display! Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Beverly D’Angelo, Rebecca Henderson, Paul Guilfoyle, and the list goes on. But none of these actors add anything to the story, or have a purpose to what Hildy is looking for. There are a lot of great names attached to the project, and yet they could’ve been played by throwaway actors.
It’s especially sad to see Rob Delaney wasted like this—he’s really funny in everything he does, but has also shown great emotional depth with some of the roles he’s played. And yet the movie doesn’t exploit any of his talents as a versatile actor, playing a character with little emotional depth, when he’s one of the bigger players in the movie. Aside from Hildy and Frank (Kline), none of the characters are developed.
Thankfully, Weaver and Kline nearly save the movie from being a predictable, and surface-level bore. Like most rom-coms, you see everything coming a mile away. You know that the not-so-perfect couple will eventually end up together, and live happily ever after. But the journey is the most interesting part, and Kline and Weaver make up for its predictable platitudes with two heartwarming performances. They’re both very funny when they’re together, and their natural chemistry fires off all cylinders. Without them, the movie wouldn’t have worked, but they make it watchable.
The movie tries to be original by having Weaver break the fourth wall multiple times. It doesn’t always work, but it adds an interesting layer to her character that wouldn’t have been possible would it have stayed in formulaic territory. Because of these elements, The Good House ultimately won me over. Weaver and Kline are incredibly charming together, and the fourth wall breaks added a light layer of comedy that helped me sit through a packed screening full of grannies (I was the youngest one, it felt a tad weird). Though if you crave something deeper, and more meaningful, this will not be the movie for you. However, I can think of a thousand worse movies than this one for you to spend the weekend over with, so it really isn’t a terrible choice to see at the movies this weekend.
