The Reel Review
A man mourning the sudden death of his famous writer husband invites his two best friends on a trip to Paris, where they learn some shocking details about his partner’s secret life and each other. Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek), Ruth Negga, Himesh Patel and Luke Evans star in this romantic dramedy that Levy wrote and directed.
The visuals of Paris and London and the excellent casting are the strongest parts of Good Grief – from a spot-on Ruth Negga (Passing, Loving) as the free spirited friend and Celia Imre (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) as the financial planner, as well as fun cameos from Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart) as a self-absorbed actress at the funeral and Emma Corrin (A Murder at the End of the World, The Crown) as a performance artist of dubious talent. If only they had each been given more to do.
Beyond that, Levy’s shallow story seems adrift, never quite finding its comic or dramatic footing. It wallows in melancholic, one-note clichés rather than illustrating the complexity of coping both with grief and anger over the betrayal from a departed loved one. We never get to know any of these characters enough to care about their stories. Good Grief is a pretty but bland, superficial misfire.
REEL FACTS
• Good Grief is the first film for Netflix from Dan Levy’s production company, Not a Real Production Company.
• Ruth Negga received a Best Actress Tony nomination in her 2022 Broadway debut in a modernized version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
• The portraits in Good Grief are the work of Levy’s fellow Toronto native Kris Knight.
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