Today’s quick review: The Good Heart. After his fifth heart attack, Jacques (Brian Cox), a cantankerous old bar owner, meets Lucas (Paul Dano), a young homeless man, in the hospital. Jacques takes Lucas in and teaches him how to run the bar, hoping that Lucas will one day take over for him. But as the months go by, Jacques and Lucas quarrel over the latter’s tenderness, especially when it comes to April (Isild le Besco), a stranger in need of help.
The Good Heart is a dramatic comedy about an unlikely friendship between two very different men. Worried about dying without anyone to take his place, Jacques chooses Lucas as his protege and attempts to toughen him up. The Good Heart follows their misadventures in bar management, Jacques’ worsening health, and his growing acceptance of Lucas. In spite a promising setup, the movie’s characters and story fall short of the mark.
The Good Heart has an understated style with a few wry touches. Visually, the movie has a muted color palette and takes place in a series of dingy locations, including the run-down bar that Jacques calls home. The characters are decidedly unromantic. Jacques is an ornery misanthrope with only a minuscule amount of charm, while Lucas is generous to a fault. The story charts their relationship through a series of minor incidents at the bar.
The one major weakness of the movie is that it does not flesh out its characters in the right ways. Jacques and Lucas change due to their interactions with one another, but not as much as the premise would suggest. There’s no chance to learn more about them, either. Once Jacques and Lucas have been fully introduced, the movie gives no deeper information about either their inner desires or their pasts, leaving them to coast on their surface traits.
The result is a movie that will be hit-or-miss. For some viewers, Jacques and Lucas will have the right dynamic needed to carry the movie, turning the story into a mixture of light, offbeat humor and heartwarming friendship. But for other viewers, the characters will never click, making the story feel aimless and empty. As such, The Good Heart will not be the right pick for everyone. Only give it a shot if you’re a fan of character-driven stories.
For a black comedy that takes a more tongue-in-cheek approach to death, try Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back). For a moving dramatic comedy that explores old age and dying, try The Bucket List. For a romantic anime that deals with similar themes, check out I Want to Eat Your Pancreas. For a more touching story about a man trying to save a bar, try American Cousins.
[6.9 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808285/). I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for a decent setup with characters that don’t quite click.