The Good Half

The Good Half is a movie I wanted to like much more than I did. In fact, I usually love these types of films. But something just didn't click for me once the credits rolled. Nick Jonas is not a bad actor, but he's not great either. It doesn't help that the script isn't anything special and the dialogue is sometime laughable or not delivered in a realistic way.

Jonas plays a young man who returns home to attend his mother'a funeral once he realizes she has sadly passed. The premise is fine and I think the movie means well, but the delivery and subject matter just don't add up to anything worth noting. It's an average movie with average...everything.

Greetings again from the darkness. Losing a parent is a difficult time that most of us will deal with at some point. Sorrow and guilt and anger are typically part of the grieving process, and that's precisely what writer Brett Ryland and director Robert Schwartzmann (THE ARGUMENT, 2020) show us. For those who have been through it already, it's likely to bring back emotions that will always be there, and for those who haven't experienced this yet, it serves as a cautionary tale.

The film opens with a mother (Elisabeth Shue) trying to make peace with her angry young son (Mason Cufari). It turns out mom absent-mindedly left the boy at the store, and it takes a 'pinky promise' that "I'll never leave you again" from mom to win the boy back. Of course, as avid movie lovers, we know this means mom will in fact leave the boy again at some point.

The film then jumps ahead 15 plus years, as that young boy Renn has grown up (now played by Nick Jonas) and is on a flight from Los Angeles back home to Cleveland for his mother's funeral. While flirting over the sleeping dude in the middle seat, Renn and Zoey (Alexandra Shipp, BARBIE, 2023) bond a bit, and even exchange numbers. She's therapist in town for a conference, and he coyly avoids telling her the real reason he's home.

Once home, it's clear an agitated and barely-speaking Renn is holding back emotions, and so is his sister Leigh (Brittany Snow, PITCH PERFECT franchise). Their kinda goofy dad (Matt Walsh, "Veep") awkwardly tries to make the best of things, despite the strain between his son and daughter. Leigh is a bit miffed at Renn for leaving her alone to take care of their cancer-stricken mom, and Renn is carrying the guilt and shame of not being there, as well as the anger of having mom leave him. However, the two can share their similar feelings of disgust towards stepdad Rick (perfect villain, David Arquette), whom we also find very easy to dislike. Their casket shopping experience is a terrific scene and gives Renn a chance to open up a bit with sarcasm.

Renn escapes the pressure a couple of times by meeting Zoey for drinks ... even karaoke, where Jonas sings the Modern English classic, "I Melt with You". Jonas and Ms. Shipp have good chemistry, and that goes for Jonas and Ms. Snow, as well. In fact, Jonas delivers a strong enough performance that we feel tense when he finally unloads his pent-up emotions, and he's able to juggle the mixture of comedy and grief and family drama. Everyone grieves in their own way, and it's always painful. The film's best line, "happy or not, it's family", is one many can relate to, and there is also a bit of advice: sometimes ... take the long way.

In theaters August 16, 2024.

Renn Wheeland (Nick Jonas) is flying home to Cleveland for his mother (Elisabeth Shue)'s funeral. He connects with fellow plane passenger Zoey Abbot (Alexandra Shipp). His sister Leigh Wheeland (Brittany Snow) had been caring for their mother. Their father (Matt Walsh) has been divorced and she had remarried Rick Barona (David Arquette) who is controlling the funeral.

There are moments of dark emotional explosions and broad black comedy. It can be jarring to flip from one to the other. Nick Jonas is not necessarily a great actor. He's trying. It's tough to center such a wide-ranging role. It is a little uneven, but it kept me interested.

The Good Half is a great film that should definitely be talked about more. It's a heart-wrenching movie about love and loss and how loved ones deal with grief after losing someone close. Nick Jonas (Renn) is phenomenal in this, he embodies his character perfectly. Brittany Snow (Leigh), Alexandra Shipp (Zoey), and Elisabeth Shue (Lily) are great in supporting roles as well. The filmmakers and actors all did a great job because this movie feels very real and authentic. Anyone who doesn't like this film or thinks it's too boring or sad, probably can't relate to it because if you've ever lost a loved one this movie captures exactly how it feels. This is definitely worth a watch. Great acting and a beautiful film!

I'm a bit of a sucker for those films that slip under the radar, are produced on a low budget and don't have all the marketing glitz of so-called blockbuster movies. And so it is with the Good Half. Grief is an individual emotion and response that's often hard to articulate and depict on the screen without falling into cliches and mush. However the Good Half gives a worthy and considered account of what grief is like for 1 family and particularly the son, Renn Wheeland, played by Nick Jonas. With the death of his mother, he finds it difficult to express his emotions and plays it out through detachment and, at times aggression. Flashbacks of Renn with his mother during his childhood and later, add to his frustration at her passing. This is an ensemble cast and Renn's story is aided by well-balanced and convincing performances by his sister, Leigh, played by Brittany Snow and his mother Lily, played by Elisabeth Shue. Other cast members add to the well-crafted story. While the story moves along at a slow pace (as others have mentioned in reviews here) this only adds depth to the grief in the immediate aftermath of Lily's death. So be patient and watch through to the end and you'll be rewarded with a superb story of one family's response to the passing of one of their key members. Highly recommended.