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The Good Heart

  • 20092009
  • RR
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
The Good Heart (2009)
A bartender takes a young homeless man in under his wing.
Play trailer2:35
1 Video
10 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
A cantankerous but ailing bartender takes a kindly young homeless man in under his wing.A cantankerous but ailing bartender takes a kindly young homeless man in under his wing.A cantankerous but ailing bartender takes a kindly young homeless man in under his wing.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Dagur Kári
  • Writer
    • Dagur Kári
  • Stars
    • Paul Dano
    • Brian Cox
    • Bill Buell
Top credits
  • Director
    • Dagur Kári
  • Writer
    • Dagur Kári
  • Stars
    • Paul Dano
    • Brian Cox
    • Bill Buell
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 18User reviews
    • 63Critic reviews
    • 40Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 9 nominations

    Videos1

    The Good Heart
    Trailer 2:35
    The Good Heart

    Photos10

    Brian Cox in The Good Heart (2009)
    Paul Dano in The Good Heart (2009)
    Paul Dano in The Good Heart (2009)
    Brian Cox in The Good Heart (2009)
    Dagur Kári in The Good Heart (2009)
    Brian Cox in The Good Heart (2009)
    Paul Dano and Isild Le Besco in The Good Heart (2009)
    Brian Cox and Paul Dano in The Good Heart (2009)
    The Good Heart (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Paul Dano
    Paul Dano
    • Lucasas Lucas
    Brian Cox
    Brian Cox
    • Jacquesas Jacques
    Bill Buell
    Bill Buell
    • Roger Verneas Roger Verne
    Boði
    • Rococoas Rococo
    Susan Blommaert
    Susan Blommaert
    • Nurse Noraas Nurse Nora
    Alice Olivia Clarke
    Alice Olivia Clarke
    • Nurse Monaas Nurse Mona
    Sonnie Brown
    Sonnie Brown
    • Nurse Wooas Nurse Woo
    • (as Kim Songwon Brown)
    Stephen McKinley Henderson
    Stephen McKinley Henderson
    • Psychiatristas Psychiatrist
    • (as Stephen Henderson)
    Seth Sharp
    • Nurse Billyas Nurse Billy
    David Moss
    • Homeless #1as Homeless #1
    Dale A. Smith
    • Homeless #2as Homeless #2
    Michelle J. Nelson
    • Nurse Sheilaas Nurse Sheila
    • (as Michelle Nelson)
    Henry Yuk
    • Chin Leeas Chin Lee
    • (as Henry Yuk Lui)
    Ed Wheeler
    Ed Wheeler
    • Jonathanas Jonathan
    Clark Middleton
    Clark Middleton
    • Dimitrias Dimitri
    Stephanie Szostak
    Stephanie Szostak
    • Sarahas Sarah
    Edmund Lyndeck
    Edmund Lyndeck
    • Barberas Barber
    Nicolas Bro
    Nicolas Bro
    • Ib Dolbyas Ib Dolby
    • Director
      • Dagur Kári
    • Writer
      • Dagur Kári
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Tom Waits and Ryan Gosling were originally slated to play the lead roles.
    • Goofs
      When Jacques' new room mate, Ben, suddenly collapses, he falls backward. But in the next shot he is lying face down.
    • Quotes

      Lucas: Never remove an empty glass. It is the customer's history, a track record of his state of mind, an important documentation which should not be fixed nor falsified.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Teen Wolf: The Tell (2011)
    • Soundtracks
      Lullaby for Kitten
      By Paul Dano

    User reviews18

    Review
    Top review
    Artistically bleak but a little slow
    This film is about a bitter bar owner who insults everyone he sees. He encounters a homeless young man with a good nature, and takes him as his apprentice in the bar.

    "The Good Heart" is filmed artistically. The mostly dark colour scheme, and the old and bleak sets augment the film's dismal atmosphere. The story follows a predictable pattern, as two individuals with vastly different personalities collide, they change each other. Brian Cox puts on a great performance as a character who is bitter and cold. Paul Dano's character is very good natured to the point that he is vulnerable to exploitation. He has the good heart, which I did not imagine it to have a literal meaning. However, the slow pacing and the overly bleak atmosphere hurt the enjoyment factor. If this story was filmed as a light hearted comedy, it would have worked better.
    helpful•8
    10
    • Gordon-11
    • Nov 21, 2010

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 17, 2010 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Iceland
      • Denmark
      • United States
      • France
      • Germany
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (France)
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • İyi yürek
    • Filming locations
      • Iceland
    • Production companies
      • Ex Nihilo
      • Forensic Films
      • Nimbus Film Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,800,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $20,930
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,955
      • May 2, 2010
    • Gross worldwide
      • $346,851
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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