‘I think something very important is happening and it’s deeply connected to my purpose…’
The Safdie brothers hit the big time last year when the tense and, quite frankly, incredibly stressful Uncut Gems won shed loads of awards and critical acclaim. I didn’t really love that movie. I admired the mechanics behind it, but I complained that there wasn’t really anyone to root for. Something that my tiny, child brain apparently requires to be able to fully enjoy something. Instead of Adam Sandler’s down on his luck gambler, we have Robert Pattinson’s down on his luck bank robber. Both are jackasses. Both are wonderfully acted. Neither of them helped me to engage with the story. Maybe the problem lies, as ever, with me…
Connie (Pattinson) and Nick (Benny Safdie) are brothers in the bank robbery game. When a hit goes horribly wrong (don’t they all?) they end up on the run and in serious trouble. Connie goes through an increasingly bizarre ordeal in an effort to save his brother.
As with Uncut Gems, Good Time is hectic in its pacing, yet economic with its storytelling. The plot roars along barely stopping for breath as characters come and go. Jennifer Jason Leigh is a particular highlight as a spoilt brat hanging on Pattinson’s every word, but Buddy Duress almost steals the show as Connie’s reluctant partner in crime Ray. The two share an increasingly hilarious friction that keeps the audience connected despite the frantic pacing and non stop action.
A word for Robert Pattinson, who has now emphatically left Twilight behind to become one of his generations most interesting actors. It is easy to see why he will be a good fit for the caped crusader, and he is excellent again here. Manipulative yet naive. Arrogant yet unsure of himself. It is a masterclass in the less is more style of acting favoured by the likes of Ed Norton and Mark Ruffalo.
Good Time is a good time. But it’s not a great time. I’m starting to think the Safdie brothers are a little overrated…