The Good Heart (2010)

2.0

DRAMA

U.S. Release Date: 04/30/10

Running Length: 95 Minutes

MPAA Classification: R (Language)

Aspect Ratio: 2:35 : 1

Cast: Brian Cox, Paul Dano, Isild Le Besco

Director: Dagur Kári

Screenplay: Dagur Kári

Cinematography: Rasmus Videbæk

Music: Orri Jonsson, Dagur Kári

U.S. Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

Review by: Carter Moulton

06/22/10

A young homeless man named Lucas (Paul Dano) tries to take his own life; an old bar owner named Jacques (Brian Cox) fights to survive. This is the basis for Dagur Kári’s English-language debut, The Good Heart, a scrambled egg of a film with a few sparkling moments.

The two characters meet in the hospital and spark an acquaintance—I wouldn’t call it a friendship—with one another. Jacques, who’s already suffered five heart attacks, invites Lucas to stay with him and look after the pub. In Jacques eyes, continuing the legacy of the dark, rundown bar is most critical. House of Oysters, as it is named, served as a seafood restaurant under the previous owner, but Jacques runs the place as a drinks-only facility. So why is it still called the “House of Oysters?”

“A bar should not change its name, no matter what happens in the world,” Jacques tells the curious Lucas in a grumbled tone.

Jacques, who looks like a reincarnation of Dr. Caligari, is cranky and bullheaded, obviously hiding behind a rough past. As he shows Lucas the bartending ropes—including how to make the perfect cup of espresso—he advises him to be “familiar” but never “friendly” to customers.

Photo © Magnolia Pictures

One of the best scenes in The Good Heart arrives during one of Jacques' therapy sessions. Jacques stands in a white room, surrounded by other patients. The instructor tells the men to flap their wings, skip around the room, and laugh at each other to relieve built up stress. We see Jacques, who’s lost in the cluster of flapping males, resist the instructor’s orders. He looks bored, unaffected by the exercise. Then, the instructor tells the patients to shout at one another. We see Jacques' face light up like a Christmas tree as he hobbles around the room, growling and reaching toward the other patients like a monster. He’s happy.

Jacques' character is one of the film’s bright spots, much in thanks to the performance from Brian Cox.  Unfortunately, this light is left halfway unscrewed because of a character named April (Isild Le Besco). She walks into the pub one night—long after it has closed—and ends up staying with Lucas. Her presence in the film slows the development of both Jacques and Lucas, and her constant weaving in-and-out of the storyline is exhausting. Her character is flat and undeveloped, which leads the viewer to wonder why Lucas even cares for her in the first place.

Kari’s script is patchy, constructed of a few eye-rollers and a scoop of straightforward dialogue. There is wit and wisdom to be found, but it’s hard to pick out. The film is successful at comedy in a few places, including a particular conversation between Lucas and Jacques comparing a fart to a stem of broccoli that should be applauded for taking the conventional “fart joke” to a modern level.

The film heads in a shamefully corny direction, one that we can clearly see coming given the title. After balancing the equation, The Good Heart is a film of give-and-take, a filmic tug of war. It gives us a wonderful performance, a rustic mood, a somber ending scene; it takes an already-traveled road to reach its message, and it takes from Hollywood convention a little too often.