Review of Good Time (2017) by F P — 25 Jul 2018

Quick Review: Now having some time to sit with its initial release, I can FINALLY (because my god I wanted to watch this film for so long after the BARRAGE of recommendations friends and online reviewers where giving for the film) talk and discuss about directors (and one of the actors who did Nick in the movie which was pleasantly surprising to find) Benny and Joshua Safdie's critical hit 'Good Time'. And honestly all I can muster up after finally getting to sit through the film is that it's an absolute BLAST to watch, and was definitely worth all the hype it was given; and no shock given these two did the brutally raw (though lacking in empathy) yet well crafted drug addict film Heaven Knows What. Now not to say it's not without its share of flaws as despite having a pretty well crafted super straightforward narrative it can have its fair share of convenient and coincidental moments, lacks still much like the duo's last film still some more FULLY fleshed out or more absorbing character arcs (though by no means are they awful or mediocre), and has only in small moments shaky cam camerawork that can feel too exhausting of its welcome, they don't ever serve to ruin the film and are only just minor flaws. And with that being said, the overwhelming positives to mention are much in part thanks to an utterly well acted cast (as mentioned before Benny Safdie plays an utterly convincing performance for Nick and his disabled performance) with Robert Patterson just giving a performance honestly so incredible and genuinely perfect to the CORE that it's better to just see him in the movie and how expressive and borderline raw he plays his character so well, absolutely brooding and gritty visual direction that really helps elevate a lot of the films chaotic thriller narrative and acid trip induced tone, a surprisingly well crafted script that despite its lack of traditional character arcs (and really barely any sub plots or standard "dramatic" writing) makes use more of its story and fun ways to express each character and their personality to more thank make up for it, the neon centered colour grading giving the film a fresh and interesting look with its often shaky cam but super well executed cinematography that plays equal part in interesting but almost as like a character to the film, and all the way has a consistent tone and ESPECIALLY incredible soundtrack to make you immersed into what is just our world today but in a different and creative new feel.

So overall I can't say anything else but to go see this if you can stand more less "dramatic" traditional indie drama films and get immersed into the films tone; it's not for everyone and it shouldn't be something to watch if you're not up for it but if you're comfortable enough I PLEASE urge to check this out; it's just too incredibly crafted to not skip out if you're a independent film fan or film buff in general. You know how a lot of small produced films, with the right talent, sometime can make actors in the past who seem like they had no range at all have suddenly this Oscar worthy performance of range? Well Good Time is that but it's Robert Pattinson if he was Jake Gyllenhaal in NightCrawler (though granted less psychotic).

Score: 8.5 / 10.