This film only received mediocre reviews (Critics 69% and Audience 78% on Rotten Tomatoes), but I liked it more than I anticipated. It’s a romantic comedy/drama, anchored by an AAW performance by Sigourney Weaver, as well as terrific chemistry with her co-star Kevin Kline. The movie, adapted from the novel by Ann Leary, is interesting, often very funny, and even educational about alcoholics and the damage they wreak on themselves and those who love them.
Hildy Good, played by Weaver, has been a very successful real estate agent in the small, fictional Boston suburb of Wendover. After a family intervention, she agreed to go to rehab, but it didn’t do her much good. She remains in denial about her disease and has all kinds of creative rationalizations for drinking alone and driving around drunk. (Denial is the most populated city in the psychic life of human beings. Many of us live there and most of us visit there from time to time. It can be adaptive – e.g.: we don’t worry about earthquakes every day in CA. – but also very destructive, especially if it prevents us from dealing with a serious problem.) The film breaks the “Fourth Wall” as Weaver narrates the movie, often with hilarious commentary on her life and that of her significant others.
As Hildy’s life and career start unraveling, she re-connects with her high school sweetheart, Frank Gretchell, played by Kline. He provides some sanity and stability that she desperately needs, although will it be enough to save her? (Some of the scenes with Hildy driving around completely wasted scared me about as much as those in “Alien!”)
The film detours into a couple of sub-plots involving a psychiatrist, Dr. Delaney, played by Peter Newbold, and the wife of a hedge-fund manager, Rebecca McCallister, played by the increasingly-beautiful Morena Baccarin (Brody’s wife in “Homeland”), which are interesting, too. The film will work fine on the TV, so you can wait to rent it if you don’t want to risk getting COVID by going to the theater. It isn’t being marketed, so it probably won’t be playing in the theaters much longer.
Bottom Line: A Toast to “The Good House!”
This film only received mediocre reviews (Critics 69% and Audience 78% on Rotten Tomatoes), but I liked it more than I anticipated. It's a romantic comedy/drama, anchored by an AAW performance by Sigourney Weaver, as well as terrific chemistry with her co-star Kevin Kline. The movie, adapted from the novel by Ann Leary, is interesting, often very funny, and even educational about alcoholics and the damage they wreak on themselves and those who love them. Hildy Good, played by Weaver, has been a very successful real estate agent in the small, fictional Boston suburb of Wendover. After a family intervention, she agreed to go to rehab, but it didn't do her much good. She remains in denial about her disease and has all kinds of creative rationalizations for drinking alone and driving around drunk. (Denial is the most populated city in the psychic life of human beings. Many of us live there and most of us visit there from time to time. It can be adaptive – e.g.: we don't worry about earthquakes every day in CA. – but also very destructive, especially if it prevents us from dealing with a serious problem.) The film breaks the "Fourth Wall" as Weaver narrates the movie, often with hilarious commentary on her life and that of her significant others. As Hildy's life and career start unraveling, she re-connects with her high school sweetheart, Frank Gretchell, played by Kline. He provides some sanity and stability that she desperately needs, although will it be enough to save her? (Some of the scenes with Hildy driving around completely wasted scared me about as much as those in "Alien!") The film detours into a couple of sub-plots involving a psychiatrist, Dr. Delaney, played by Peter Newbold, and the wife of a hedge-fund manager, Rebecca McCallister, played by the increasingly-beautiful Morena Baccarin (Brody's wife in "Homeland"), which are interesting, too. The film will work fine on the TV, so you can wait to rent it if you don't want to risk getting COVID by going to the theater. It isn't being marketed, so it probably won't be playing in the theaters much longer. Bottom Line: A Toast to "The Good House!"
The Good House: Make Yourself at Home
The Good House: Make Yourself at Home
2022-10-06
David
80
8
AAW Performance By Weaver!
Interesting Film About Alcoholism!
User Rating : No Ratings Yet !
8
