Directed By Dagur Kari
SYNOPSIS
After his 5th heart attack, cantankerous Jacques (Brian Cox) is rushed to the hospital. He meets a young homeless man Lucas (Paul Dano) recovering from a suicide attempt. When recovered, Jacques takes the young man under his wing to potentially take over his dive bar should he die. Jacques tries to instill his rough-around-the-edges ways in Lucas, but his lessons aren't a perfect match for the kind-souled young man.
The Good Heart brought Brian Cox and Paul Dano back together. It was the first time they worked together since Dano's debut in 2001's L.I.E. They showed a strong chemistry in the earlier film and it carries over to this one. It's The Good Heart's major strength.
The well-shot bleak cinematography is balanced by an occasionally wickedly hilarious script but the film has more faults than strengths.
The story is improbable. Why would this old man, who dislikes and distrusts everyone, would take Lucas (who he barely even knows) under his wing?
Why is Lucas homeless? This is never fully explained. He seems like an intelligent, level-headed, and 'good hearted' guy (sorry) and not a typical homeless man. "Because I want to be" is not a decent excuse. No reason is given for his suicide attempt. You could guess it stems from the homelessness... but if he chose to be homeless, he would be happy. Ugggh!
The love story between Lucas and the French girl is underdeveloped and seems forced, just to create tension between Jacques and Lucas.
The film's end is very unsatisfying and ruins much of the good aspects of the story, but I will not give it away, if you choose to take this bleak journey.
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