Good Time (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟) is the type of movie that makes you forget everything going on in your life at the moment. It’s the type of movie that you wouldn’t dare interrupt to reach for your phone. It’s the type of movie that forces your Apple Watch to notify you that your heart rate is absurdly high for seemingly no reason. It’s the type of movie that you need to take a walk around the block once the end credits roll. And it’s ultimately the type of movie that injects 100 minutes of sheer bat-out-of-hell adrenaline through your veins.
You guys know one of my core beliefs when it comes to Cinema: the simpler the story, the better. Good Time is a very simple story that takes place over the course of essentially two days. Two brothers rob a bank, one brother gets caught, and the other brother tries to break the incarcerated brother out of custody. This film stops for no one. From the moment the brothers make their way to the bank & the heist goes down, to the moment this film ends, this entire film’s intensity is always at a 10. It’s hard to find thrillers as unpredictable as this, but man, nothing about Good Time is foreseeable. Every turn comes out of nowhere.
This is the best performance of Robert Pattinson’s career. And that’s saying something because Pattinson’s been in a number of quality films & has given us a number of quality performances. But out of everything Pattinson’s ever given us, this performance stands alone. I honestly think this performance from Pattinson is as good as any performance from any actor under the age of 40 in Hollywood right now. This just feels so real- Pattinson’s desperation feels so visceral. I don’t know how he got himself to this level emotionally, but it’s stunning to witness. This is the film that converted me into a Robert Pattinson apologist.
This is also the best film directed by the Safdie Brothers. This is a better film, top to bottom, than Uncut Gems, which I also love. Unlike Uncut Gems, there are no moments of reprieve in this film. It’s go-go-go literally the entire way through & every moment matters. It blows my mind the Safdies were able to direct this at such a young age. I don’t know how many more films Josh & Benny plan on directing together, but whether separate or apart, I’ll always listen to what these two have to say creatively. They’ve earned my loyalty.
This film is a triple shot of espresso.