Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends.
If your account is linked with Facebook and you have turned on sharing, this will show up in your activity feed. If not, you can turn on sharing
here
.
The lives of two Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky friendship comes into bud. But loneliness, frailty and sorrow lie in wait.
Director:
Susanne Bier
Stars:
Mikael Persbrandt,
Wil Johnson,
Markus Rygaard
Two pairs of parents hold a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a fight, though as their time together progresses, increasingly childish behavior throws the evening into chaos.
Director:
Roman Polanski
Stars:
Jodie Foster,
Kate Winslet,
Christoph Waltz
After a suicide attempt, Lucas, a young homeless man in New York City, is taken in by Jacques, the gruff owner of a small bar. Jacques is on his fifth or sixth heart attack, and he wants Lucas to run the bar after he dies. Jacques has many rules: don't be friendly, don't serve walk-ins, no food or flowers or candles, put the cash in the freezer every night. Lucas, on the other hand, has a good heart: he gives his money away, he talks to customers, and, when April, a young French woman who has washed out of flight-attendant school, enters the bar chilled to the bone, Lucas takes her in. If Jacques won't tolerate April, what will Lucas do? Written by
<jhailey@hotmail.com>
When Jacques' new room mate, Ben, suddenly collapses, he falls backward. But in the next shot he is lying face down. See more »
Goofs
During the broccoli/fart scene, the bottle of what appears to be soy sauce is shown in different positions when the camera is shooting Lucas. See more »
Quotes
Psychiatrist:
Why did you try suicide?
Lucas:
Well, you know, when it comes to survival of the fittest, I just have to throw in the towel I guess.
Psychiatrist:
But you're not an animal, Lucas, you're a human being. We live in a highly developed society that has all kinds of buffers and security nets that are designed to break your fall.
Lucas:
No, I don't follow the rules of civilization any more. I'm outside. I'm an animal.
See more »
Over the past two to three years, Iceland has mostly made news because of its economic meltdown and because of an unpronounceable volcano. Well, I would say that Dagur Kári's movie "The Good Heart" shows that the island still has a lot to offer us.
The movie tells the story of Jacques (Brian Cox) and Lucas (Paul Dano). Jacques is a short-tempered bartender who suffers a heart attack and is put in a hospital bed next to the derelict Lucas. Jacques decides to take Lucas under his wing and teach him the bar-tending business. Although not the nicest person, Jacques is determined to give Lucas a good life. But when Lucas takes unemployed flight attendant April (Isild Le Besco) his wing, the story gets started on an irreversible path.
The movie has really good character development. Just watching Jacques on the screen made me feel as if I was walking on eggshells. It certainly gave me an idea of what it must be like to be a bartender and have to deal with certain kinds of people every day. Even though Jacques is kind of nasty as a person, we understand why he's like this, and by extension get a sense of what Lucas and April have to put up with.
Like I said, it was a real surprise that much of the funding for "The Good Heart" came from Iceland, and that much of the crew and cast is from the North Atlantic island*. This movie could be seen as the manifestation of Ísland's** potential return from its economic collapse during the past few years. I strongly recommend "The Good Heart" and wish Iceland the best. Lofsöngur!
*Many of the names employed the letter thorn, written Þ (upper case) and þ (lower case).
**That's Iceland's name in Icelandic.
14 of 19 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Over the past two to three years, Iceland has mostly made news because of its economic meltdown and because of an unpronounceable volcano. Well, I would say that Dagur Kári's movie "The Good Heart" shows that the island still has a lot to offer us.
The movie tells the story of Jacques (Brian Cox) and Lucas (Paul Dano). Jacques is a short-tempered bartender who suffers a heart attack and is put in a hospital bed next to the derelict Lucas. Jacques decides to take Lucas under his wing and teach him the bar-tending business. Although not the nicest person, Jacques is determined to give Lucas a good life. But when Lucas takes unemployed flight attendant April (Isild Le Besco) his wing, the story gets started on an irreversible path.
The movie has really good character development. Just watching Jacques on the screen made me feel as if I was walking on eggshells. It certainly gave me an idea of what it must be like to be a bartender and have to deal with certain kinds of people every day. Even though Jacques is kind of nasty as a person, we understand why he's like this, and by extension get a sense of what Lucas and April have to put up with.
Like I said, it was a real surprise that much of the funding for "The Good Heart" came from Iceland, and that much of the crew and cast is from the North Atlantic island*. This movie could be seen as the manifestation of Ísland's** potential return from its economic collapse during the past few years. I strongly recommend "The Good Heart" and wish Iceland the best. Lofsöngur!
*Many of the names employed the letter thorn, written Þ (upper case) and þ (lower case).
**That's Iceland's name in Icelandic.