SummaryMarc (Dan Levy) was content living in the shadow of his larger-than-life husband, Oliver (Luke Evans). But when Oliver unexpectedly dies, Marc’s world shatters, sending him and his two best friends, Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel), on a soul-searching trip to Paris that reveals some hard truths they each needed to face.
SummaryMarc (Dan Levy) was content living in the shadow of his larger-than-life husband, Oliver (Luke Evans). But when Oliver unexpectedly dies, Marc’s world shatters, sending him and his two best friends, Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel), on a soul-searching trip to Paris that reveals some hard truths they each needed to face.
Levy, who also wrote the screenplay and stars in the picture, has made a satisfyingly adult, bittersweet drama which argues that even a seemingly gilded life can be painfully messy.
Levy now takes his quadruple-threat skill set to feature-length film by directing, writing, producing and starring in the warm and lovely albeit formulaic weeper “Good Grief,” which is not the story of the adult Charlie Brown (rats!) but the tale of a man who turns to his best friends for solace in his time of great need.
Wrapping one’s hands firmly around a heady subject can be quite an undertaking, and rising up to that challenge may take some serious doing. However, without a solid foundation to support such a venture, it’s easy to fall prey to the task exceeding one’s grasp, which, unfortunately, is the case with the debut feature from writer-actor-director Daniel Levy. As the title of this offering suggests, this ambitious production seeks to tackle the subject of overcoming unrelenting sorrow, specifically that of a middle-aged **** Londoner (Levy) who loses his husband (Luke Evans) in a tragic accident, leaving him grief-stricken for an extended time. He has the boundless backing of his best friends (Ruth Negga, Himesh Patel) to help him work through his sadness, but that condition only deepens when unexpected revelations emerge over the course of the next year. So, with no appreciable relief in sight, the trio decides to radically change direction, embarking on a long weekend trip to Paris to heal and to get back into the swing of life. However, it’s a journey that ends up being filled with the emergence of secrets and hard truths for all involved, faintly offset by the prospect of difficult but potential fresh starts. To its credit, this is a film that clearly has its heart in the right place, but it often feels like it’s struggling to say what it earnestly wants to express. The emotions are sincere, and the feelings are palpable, but their execution frequently misses the mark. Their expression often feels incomplete, conveyed through dialogue that plays more like stilted, scripted prose than authentic, natural conversation. That’s regrettable, given the strength of the performances, which genuinely attempt to communicate these emotions, both of the principals and a fine ensemble of supporting players, including Celia Imrie, David Bradley and Arnaud Valois. “Good Grief” feels like one of those projects that should have gone through another round of script revisions before being committed to film, particularly in light of the depth of the subject matter involved here. Grief isn’t easy, and neither is telling stories about it that come across as heartfelt and real. Regrettably, this isn’t one of them.
Daniel Levy has made a first feature that’s a glossy drama of love and loss and the restorative power of friendship. But it’s more earnest than affecting.
While not offering anything particularly surprising or challenging in its take on the unpredictable shadow of loss, “Good Grief” delivers plenty of heart.
Good Grief
Dan Levy in his directorial debut presents the story of a man mourning the loss of his husband with his two best friends solidly by his side.
The movie opens beautifully with a party scene that is enlivened by the exuberant Oliver, the husband of Dan Levy's character. This scene transitions seamlessly to the death of Oliver on this same night. Luke Evans is able to make an impact in the short screen time he possesses, and the loss is palpable.
Good Grief generally has a sombre aura accentuated by its score but the script doesn't match up. The plot isn't bad but it sometimes veers into melodrama, and even though the subject matter is sometimes explored with sensitivity and genuineness, it doesn't transcend into something amazing. Everything here is mostly mild, and the twist that occurs by the end of the first half doesn't still veer to the **** heights it requires. It's quite possible that this is due to the characters at play. Some are too big that they end up swallowing others, and the acting isn't equal across the board. Dan Levy's lead performance is good, but there's this **** feeling that a better actor could have brought more from this script. Ruth Negga as always is brilliant.
Good Grief had the potential to be a poignant exploration of loss with many ingredients at its disposal but the restraint the movie employed ultimately hinders this.
5.5-6/10
Tudo que você vê aqui outros filmes LGBTQIA+ conseguiram fazer melhor. Sobre o tema do luto, recomendo "Alerta de Spoiler". Ainda assim é um filme que funciona na medida de sua limitação.
Maybe Levy should just stick to comedy...
Horrendously unlikeable characters, boring "story", no point. I think I know what they were going for (a grounded, heartfelt drama kind of like Sideways but with more of a focus on grief), but they failed miserably. While Levy is a decent actor, he can't carry the movie and it ends up feeling rather pretentious and ****.
Dan Levy is best known for creating the fabulous comedy Schitt's Creek, but his first writing/directing/starring film eschews comedy for drama. He plays an artist who loses his husband (Luke Evans) in an accident. After more bad news, he takes his besties (Ruth Negga & Himesh Patel) to Paris for closure and solace. This film is all about Levy, his script is rather mundane & predictable with numerous long philosophical monologues (mostly for himself). Despite lots of the characters' words saying so, his direction lacks much emotion. Actually, Negga is the only actor to create much of a personality and she sometimes seems to trying too hard. Earnestness is the byword here and while a few comic touches might have made it more palatable, the final result remains an exercise in dramatic self indulgence.