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      The Good Life

      R 2007 1h 30m Drama List
      33% 6 Reviews Tomatometer 52% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score An aimless youth (Mark Webber) deals with his father's suicide, a bully (Chris Klein) and a possible romance. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (82) audience reviews
      kevin c Patrick Fugit stars in this film about a young man seemingly stuck in his hometown going nowhere and meets a beautiful woman played by Zooey Deschanel who gives his life some needed hope. Pretty decent film filled with a great cast of character actors such as Harry Dean Stanton, Bill Paxton, Donal Logue and Chris Klein. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review steve d It was not especially interesting and the entire thing felt cheaply made despite some strong (often wasted ) actors. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Exquisitely written, beautifully sad, and painfully real. This film is not made to create a satisfiable plot or give any sort of closure to the audience. It is a window into the mundane life that could easily belong to the millions of tattered Americans with broken dreams and stunted lives. The acting is superb, especially Mark Webber's. Harry Dean Stanton, Patrick Fugit, Zooey Deschanel, and Chris Klein give incredibly believable performances. People who didn't like this film probably have a general aversion to melancholy and the brutal reality of its vast existence in the world, which is one of the main themes present in this film. Mental illness, unrealized dreams, alienation, and the pain and comfort of death are also explored. It is truly a great watch for anyone who enjoys solemn drama and the calm, hushed intensity of indie films. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member A bit outside the norm here, this one makes you really think about what is and what could be. A great little plot twist that makes the movie towards the end. The end to me was left kinda open I had been watching movies for about 8 hours recovering from New Years Eve so I may have missed something. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie has a lot of plays on everything. You're definitely led to believe one thing at the beginning of the movie and throughout, then actually led to believe something else, then it's something else that actually happens! Those final two turns take place in the final three minutes. I'm typically against twisty-turny nonsense as that's cheap writing, and I can agree with some critics who blast the movie for going that route. It's a depressing as hell movie. Jason's father has killed himself, and pretty much everything else imaginable is horrible for the young kid. It's no wonder you're led to believe he might shoot himself. The only real question would be: what took you so long? But as the title suggests, even in the darkest moments, there are moments of light, of good. And those are the things worth living for. Eh, that's feel good bullshit that really had no place in a movie this dark. I like Webber. He's good as a morose character and evidently does good work for the homeless off the screen. Deschanel is about the same as usual. No complaints, but no range either. Fugit disappeared after the rock n roll movie and he's good. Klein has also gone away only to resurface as an asshole-nut in this one, but he's pretty decent. The movie just tried to hard. I mean it's just one thing after another, and some of them are a little far-fetched. Undoubtedly, real life offers one thing after another to far too many people, but I think it very rare it gets this bad. Or I hope. And that's why the ending was set up the way it was. Who wouldn't want to end a life that bad? For the film maker to take away that question was pretty dishonest. Finally, the dad leaves the son his gun (which surely cant be the one with which he shot himself but it almost seems that way) and a bullet with literally his name on it. He also leaves a note to the effect of: the human brain carries enough oxygen to survive 10-15 seconds after the heart has stopped. Go for the head, son. A life of pain is long enough. It was a little more articulate than that, and a wasted line all things considered. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member Horribly pointless and slow-paced. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (6) Critics Reviews
      James Greenberg Hollywood Reporter While The Good Life is stylistically ambitious and heartfelt, it feels more forced than authentic. Jan 30, 2007 Full Review Luke Y. Thompson OC Weekly As a director, Stephen Berra makes this all quite palatable, but as a writer, he frequently mistakes platitudes for profundity. Apr 28, 2008 Full Review Kim Voynar Cinematical You just can't go from darkly morose to uplifting and hopeful in the last 30 seconds of the film without any kind of arc to take you there. Rated: 3/5 Feb 9, 2007 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Grounded in the rich cinematic tradition of Small-Town America, the film doesn't break much new thematic ground, but it's well-acted by the entire ensemble, which consists of both pros and young thespians. Rated: B- Jan 31, 2007 Full Review Jamie Tipps Film Threat The film spends what seems like interminable hours driving home the brutal truth that the world is better off without Jason Prayer, and, despite the anemic flip-flop of the last twenty seconds, it's hard to disagree. Rated: 2/5 Jan 25, 2007 Full Review Alex Billington FirstShowing.net A profound, immense, and phenomenal small town story and amazing movie ... it's just that damn good. Rated: 9.5/10 Jan 23, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis An aimless youth (Mark Webber) deals with his father's suicide, a bully (Chris Klein) and a possible romance.
      Director
      Stephen Berra
      Screenwriter
      Stephen Berra
      Rating
      R (Language)
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Mar 10, 2017
      Runtime
      1h 30m