Is Good Time the Best Time?

Special Commentary on Why the Film Good Time Should Be Considered One of the Year’s Best

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Photo by Matt McCabe

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Maybe it’s a little too early to say, but I don’t see my mind changing in the next two months. Good Time is the best movie of 2017, by some distance. To me, this is basically perfection. I’m going to go ahead now and list all the things I love about Good Time.

One, it takes place in New York. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but movies set in New York tend to be great. From Manhattan to Mean Streets to Midnight Cowboy, if a movie takes place in New York, the chances that I’ll like it go up. This is no exception.

Two, it’s got that winning combination of neon lighting and synth music. I’m a real sucker for this, but it doesn’t do as much for me in contemporary films. Something like Drive doesn’t wow me nearly as much as, say, Manhunter does. Good Time is different though. The score sounds like it was composed by a hopped up Tangerine Dream and is used flawlessly. The music really amplifies every scene, especially in the opening 20 minutes or so, getting louder and more intense as the movie does the same. The neon lighting and really just the way it’s all shot is incredible as well and gives the whole film a feverish and frantic feel. It’s pleasing for more than just purely aesthetic reasons.  

Three, the pacing of this, my god. The moment it gets started, it absolutely does not let up. There’s no part in this where you can relax, it’s a thoroughly uncomfortable and exhausting film, which I really love.

Four, it all takes place in, for the most part, one night. This is another thing I always like, because I love a good late night atmosphere, my favorite ones probably being Inland Empire and Eyes Wide Shut. There’s just something so appealing to me personally about this sort of atmosphere, and Good Time nails it.

Five, Robert Pattinson. That’s right, Robert Pattinson. The same Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame. He’s phenomenal in this. I completely bought him as this desperate, pathetic criminal, who for the most part is irredeemable, but who you want so much to succeed. The rest of the cast is good as well, but it’s Pattinson that holds the film together.

Good Time is the best movie I’ve seen in quite a while, maybe since Whiplash. I know this really isn’t much of a review, and I’m sure that there are issues with the movie that I’m overlooking, but it’s so far up my alley that I can’t help but love it. Good Time is like Dog Day Afternoon meets After Hours meets Thief on the constant verge of a heart attack, and it’s just as great as that description sounds.