Release Date – TBC, Cert – TBC, Run-time – 1 hour 50 minutes, Director – Jan Komasa
Reckless youth Tommy (Anson Boon) is kidnapped by a family he doesn’t know who trap him in their basement wishing to teach him a lesson about valuing his life.
As we see an extremely reluctant set of minor changes in Good Boy’s main character, Tommy (Anson Boon), I was reminded of the Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared TV series. But, instead of Stain Edwards being transformed into the not-quite-departed Duck the sinisterly dark comedy at hand made me think that the intent from the family who have kidnapped and trapped him is to almost indoctrinate him into their drab home. But, Tommy proves a struggle for them as he lashes out and attempts to escape his imprisonment from the group of strangers.
Attempting to change the violent and reckless youth’s life – the opening two or three minutes does a good job of making him instantly, wholly unlikable with his obnoxious partying lifestyle – 80s style VHS tapes are shown to him, alongside his own TikToks, claiming “everything that surrounds you is filled with love and understanding.” The uneasy style of ‘care’ shown, however, largely by father Chris (Stephen Graham with a hint of Dennis Nilsen about him) certainly say otherwise. Yet, despite the sinister nature at hand there’s still a slight gentleness and warmth shown from Chris towards Tommy, as if he does actually have good intentions in wanting to see him be better person – even if he goes around it in far from the right way.
Chris also cares for his wife, Kathryn (Andrea Riseborough), who herself seems to be ill. A quiet and isolated figure there’s very little for Riseborough to do for a good chunk of the film, leading me to sit and wonder when the detail that could have attracted her to the role was going to finally arrive. While largely confined to the second half, where some of the film’s darker edges wear off leading to a dampened effect from the pushed run-time.
There are still darker elements at play, and some moments of real suspense, especially when it comes to one particularly difficult-to-watch scene involving Chris and Kathryn’s young son Jonathan (Kit Rakusen). However, as we learn more about the family and Tommy starts to find more freedom in the house – even if still walking with a literal chain around his neck – the tone starts to shift, and in that the film appears to lose itself and where its strengths lay. It doesn’t quite become a different film, but one simply stuck in its shifts and weakening because of that. The darkness of the comedy, and to some extent the comedy in general, isn’t quite as present and the film appears to be more clearly trying to build towards an ending, albeit quite gradually. But, when remembering its darker tones in various aspects Good Boy is at its best with a sinister nature hanging over both the humour and drama, with help from Stephen Graham and Anson Boon’s paired performances in particular.
Working best when focusing on the darkly comic and sinister Good Boy starts to lose itself in its tonal shifts, meaning that its effects wear off and thematically it starts to feel as if it strays.
Just A Little Bit Random 