The Good Heart (2009)

A cantankerous but ailing bartender takes a kindly young homeless man in under his wing.

Director:

Dagur Kári

Writer:

Dagur Kári

Stars:

Paul Dano, Brian Cox, Bill Buell

6 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Dano	...	Lucas
Brian Cox	...	Jacques
Bill Buell	...	Roger Verne
Boði	...	Rococo
Susan Blommaert	...	Nurse Nora
Alice Olivia Clarke	...	Nurse Mona
Sonnie Brown	...	Nurse Woo (as Kim Songwon Brown)
Stephen McKinley Henderson	...	Psychiatrist (as Stephen Henderson)
Seth Sharp	...	Nurse Billy
David Moss	...	Homeless #1
Dale A. Smith	...	Homeless #2
Michelle J. Nelson	...	Nurse Sheila (as Michelle Nelson)
Henry Yuk	...	Chin Lee (as Henry Yuk Lui)
Ed Wheeler	...	Jonathan
Clark Middleton	...	Dimitri

Storyline

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?

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Plot Keywords:

bar | heart attack | bartender | death | mentor protege relationship | 

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Taglines:

Everyone needs a refuge from the world.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and a disturbing image

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tom Waits and Ryan Gosling were originally slated to play the lead roles.

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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.

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Quotes

Lucas: A bar is no place for a woman. You were right on that one.
Jacques: April was more of a man than most of the sissies that hang around here.

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Connections

Referenced in Teen Wolf: The Tell (2011)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday To You
Written by Mildred J. Hill (as Mildred Hill), Patty S. Hill (as Patty Smith Hill)

User Reviews

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

Iceland Denmark USA France Germany

Language:

English German

Release Date:

17 March 2010 (France)

Also Known As:

The Good Heart

Filming Locations:

Dominican Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$3,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,955, 2 May 2010

Gross USA:

$20,930

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$346,851

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ex Nihilo, Forensic Films, Nimbus Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1