"The Good Night" is what Michel Gondry's "The Science of Sleep" would be like in your typical Hollywood production. It tried so hard to distinguish itself by having A-list cast and extra cool music. But without intriguing script and visual creativity, this story tends to be bland and pretty uninteresting. In the end, it just doesn't really have anything new to talk about.
Gary Shaller (Martin Freeman) is at a crossroads in his life: his job is going nowhere, his wife, Dora (Gwyneth Paltrow), drives him crazy, and he passed his thirtieth birthday four years ago. Add to that his best friend Paul seems to become more successful every time he breathes. Gary is feeling depressed and dejected... until he meets Anna. She's beautiful and smart; she's sexy and funny. Best of all, she's crazy about Gary. Anna (Penelope Cruz) is the girl of Gary's dreams...literally. And that's the problem. Gary can only see Anna in his dream life, so he's got to find a way to carry on the most satisfying relationship of his life, in his dreams. His quest for lucid dreaming techniques introduces Gary to some crazy characters (that is Danny DeVito) who ultimately give him a new perspective on life (credited by IMDb)
Nothing wrong with the story of people in midlife crisis and quest to find their soul mate (even you are already being with one). But, for me, the way they presented to us is pretty uninspired. "The Good Night" invite us to go into a deeper layer by examining a various phases of our protagonists. But once we're already feel attached to it, it just didn't really worth afford. We knew that Gary and Dora are unhappy married couple. He's depressed and she's desperate for something fresh in life once again. And we hope that, in the end, they're going to sort things out (whatever that is). Yes, they're finally sort things out. But it's unraveled in a sense of script-wise. For me, I found a difficult time to believe anything that happened in the last act, when Gary attempted to salvage his life.
Speaking about the casts, "The Good Night" might have one of the best casts in such a small scale production. Martin Freeman and Simon Pegg are just amusing to watch (their jokes are hysterical and their rapport seemed casual). On the other hand, Gwyneth Paltrow and Penelope Cruz are not entirely memorable (Especially Penelope who just having a very thankless role). And the character that Gwyneth (who might do a favor for her younger brother Jake in his directorial debut) played is just so mean and unpleasant to be around. Having she uttered a lot of f-words is completely unnecessary. And the worst part is she and Martin seemed to have zero chemistry (and that's not a good sign for this kind of film).
"The Good Night" may neither break any new ground, nor has a potential to be a great one. But it's seemed harmless to watch. The story is easy to love and appreciate. The casts are just having a good time and it will definitely make you relax while watching it. And that's enough reason to take a look at this one.
Gary Shaller (Martin Freeman) is at a crossroads in his life: his job is going nowhere, his wife, Dora (Gwyneth Paltrow), drives him crazy, and he passed his thirtieth birthday four years ago. Add to that his best friend Paul seems to become more successful every time he breathes. Gary is feeling depressed and dejected... until he meets Anna. She's beautiful and smart; she's sexy and funny. Best of all, she's crazy about Gary. Anna (Penelope Cruz) is the girl of Gary's dreams...literally. And that's the problem. Gary can only see Anna in his dream life, so he's got to find a way to carry on the most satisfying relationship of his life, in his dreams. His quest for lucid dreaming techniques introduces Gary to some crazy characters (that is Danny DeVito) who ultimately give him a new perspective on life (credited by IMDb)
Nothing wrong with the story of people in midlife crisis and quest to find their soul mate (even you are already being with one). But, for me, the way they presented to us is pretty uninspired. "The Good Night" invite us to go into a deeper layer by examining a various phases of our protagonists. But once we're already feel attached to it, it just didn't really worth afford. We knew that Gary and Dora are unhappy married couple. He's depressed and she's desperate for something fresh in life once again. And we hope that, in the end, they're going to sort things out (whatever that is). Yes, they're finally sort things out. But it's unraveled in a sense of script-wise. For me, I found a difficult time to believe anything that happened in the last act, when Gary attempted to salvage his life.
Speaking about the casts, "The Good Night" might have one of the best casts in such a small scale production. Martin Freeman and Simon Pegg are just amusing to watch (their jokes are hysterical and their rapport seemed casual). On the other hand, Gwyneth Paltrow and Penelope Cruz are not entirely memorable (Especially Penelope who just having a very thankless role). And the character that Gwyneth (who might do a favor for her younger brother Jake in his directorial debut) played is just so mean and unpleasant to be around. Having she uttered a lot of f-words is completely unnecessary. And the worst part is she and Martin seemed to have zero chemistry (and that's not a good sign for this kind of film).
"The Good Night" may neither break any new ground, nor has a potential to be a great one. But it's seemed harmless to watch. The story is easy to love and appreciate. The casts are just having a good time and it will definitely make you relax while watching it. And that's enough reason to take a look at this one.