“… didn’t completely tank, but it could have been so much better.”

“What ever happened to that dude from Twilight?” is a question that, at least in my life, gets thrown around pretty frequently. Well it turns out that the best way to get people to like you is to star in an oversaturated young adult film franchise, and then fall off the grid for a few years, and then start acting in indie movies. And that’s exactly what our little Robert Pattinson did with Good Time. Good Time is a movie about Connie Nikas, a criminal who cares for his mentally challenged brother by bringing him along during heists. When one of these heists goes sideways, Connie then has to try and get his brother out of prison by interacting with some of the weirdest characters you’ve ever seen.

I really enjoyed watching Good Time becasue it was so different from anything else I have seen. The movie manages to bring a unique style to every aspect that you experience, it truly is a marvel especially considering that it is an independent film. First of all, the score was great. It was both immersive and creative and it really fit the tone of the movie. Second of all the direction was amazing. It was interesting to see a movie that felt ‘big-budget’ try to emulate the feeling of a home movie by doing a lot of handheld camera work as well as a very involved camera presence. Good Time keeps the story it is telling personal by never giving you more than two feet of space from the subject of the scene. These moments highlight the intensity of the situation, and they also make sure to give the brilliant performances their time to shine.

I can go down the line and compliment every one of the actors in the movie, but in my opinion Benny Safdie was the standout. As Connie’s brother Nick, Safdie wasn’t in much of the movie but when he was he completely stole the show. Good Time is bookended by two pivotal scenes featuring Nick, and both of them highlight just how powerful Safdie’s performance is. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the opening scene is probably the quickest I’ve become emotionally attached to a character in the history of me watching movies. It was truly impressive to see the emotion that Safdie conveyed just on his face alone. And like I said there are other brilliant actors in Good Time as well. As a matter of fact, I don’t know if there was a weak link in the movie, at least in the actor department. The story on the other hand…

Good Time started off very strong. It was truly impressive to me just how fast time went by when the movie first started. It had everything: compelling characters, intensity, intrigue, drama, action; if Good Time had continued down that same path there’s no telling how good it could have gotten. But unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and the good things in Good Time end about half way through the movie. There is a point in Good Time where the main character, Connie, has to wait for something to happen. This is strange becasue the beginning of the movie painted Connie as the type of guy who doesn’t wait for anything. If he has a problem he goes out and tries to fix it immediately. But there was a point in the story where he had to wait, and it killed the flow. After I was rudely awakened by this abrupt halt of the plot, I wised up to the patterns in Good Time. It felt like there was always one more step to every plan. It never felt like Connie was making any progress in the movie, and that got tiring after a little while. The movie completely shifts gears at the halfway mark and it feels like Connie, as well as the filmmakers, lost sight of the true goal. The movie didn’t completely tank, but it could have been so much better.

Overall Good Time was a pretty enjoyable movie. It started off so strong with amazing performances, an intense plot, and a story that kept you on the edge of your seat as well as kept your heart in a vice. But unfortunately it lost almost all of that as the movie progressed, and we were left with an alright indie flick.

I give Good Time a B