Film Review: THE GOOD HOUSE (2021): An Intriguing and Affecting Drama with Solid, Likable Performances

The Good House Review

The Good House (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky, written by Thomas Bezucha, Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky and starring Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, David Rasche, Rebecca Henderson, Molly Brown, Kathryn Erbe, Kelly AuCoin, Georgia Lyman, Oliver Boyle, Adrian Choong, Holly Chou, Beverly D’Angelo, Damien Di Paola, Chris Everett and Paul Guilfoyle.

Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline re-team for yet another time in the absorbing and well-acted, but undeniably flawed, new drama, The Good House which is based on Ann Leary’s novel. It is a movie that takes some time to pick up steam and it presents the audience with some intriguing character dilemmas resulting in a movie that is certainly well meaning and sincere. Weaver and Kline made two wonderful films together in 1993 and 1997 with Dave and The Ice Storm, respectively. The Good House isn’t on the level of those two pictures but is nevertheless intriguing.

Weaver stars in the leading role in the picture as Hildy Good, a determined and successful New England real estate woman who is finding that life is starting to become more complex than it initially seemed to be on the surface. One of Hildy’s daughters is off in New York trying to become an artist and her rent is going up so she needs to borrow from Hildy who is trying to close a deal or two to help out with her own financial responsibilities. Hildy’s husband left her for a man and Hildy ends up rekindling a romance with her first love, a handyman/jack of all trades named Frank Getchell (an interestingly cast Kevin Kline) who serves as the voice of reason for Hildy.

Hildy has a couple of dogs who help brighten up her days but she is really an alcoholic who drinks to cope with the stress she endures to maintain her lifestyle. Her Range Rover car payment is due and she’d rather not deal with it immediately if she can help it.

This new movie has the same problem I had with the recent Netflix Dakota Johnson film, Persuasion. Weaver’s character, Hildy, breaks the fourth wall in some scenes of The Good House which I found to be quite frustrating even though Weaver is a phenomenal actress. Thankfully, this technique is not used too much in the new movie allowing some of the character interactions help to make up the points the film loses for breaking the fourth wall. That’s not to say a good movie couldn’t have scenes that break the fourth wall. But, it’s awfully hard for those scenes to work for me being that I don’t really enjoy that method of storytelling.

Directed by Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, The Good House grows on the viewer the more it goes on. Set in the fictional town of Wendover, the movie has its charm and appeal even though it grows very dramatic and intense towards the picture’s conclusion. One of the lighter scenes in the movie comes when Frank and Hildy are having sex and Hildy’s daughter is trying to get her mom to tell her where a toothbrush is while Frank continues to do the deed with Hildy. It’s a cute scene in a movie that is about to get heavier as more plot details are revealed.

The supporting cast is all top notch. Rob Delaney as a character named Peter who is in an office near Hildy’s stands out as does Kathryn Erbe who plays a real estate agent named Wendy who is competing with Hildy for clients. Peter is a touching character who comes to Hildy in a vision during a time in which her life becomes very complex after she goes on a drinking binge. Wendy is a true life character that represents the competition out there in the world and how fierce it can be for someone who is struggling to stay afloat like Hildy.

I also liked the female assistant of Hildy’s characterization. She doesn’t know much about what’s going on but she answers the phone and eventually goes off to an Ivy League school in a hysterical turn of events. What I liked best about The Good House, however, was the unusual chemistry between Kline and Weaver who play off each other like masters of the acting game. Kline’s character, Frank becomes Hildy’s salvation as she gets in way over her head with her alcohol addiction. Kline embodies goodness and kindness throughout his mutli-layered performance.

The Good House is a perfectly interesting piece of film-making. Some scenes blend uneasily, though, as the movie goes back and forth between comedy and drama, sometimes rather awkwardly. Weaver, however, manages to make us respect her character here, flawed or not. That is not an easy feat. I’d see anything Weaver and Kline made together and the fact that this new film is heartfelt and moving makes it an easy film to recommend.

Rating: 7/10

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