Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

TxMike If you are a Netflix member and have rated a lot of movies on their site, they will suggest a rating for movies you haven't seen yet. It suggested I would think this is a pretty good movie, they were wrong. As they have been before. I don't trust it.The first impression is one of dark and dirt. It is shot in a color style that evokes depression. The characters aren't happy, the situations aren't joyous, and this mood never changes so I found it hard to watch and enjoy.We never find out any reason why, but Paul Dano as Lucas is without job or family and lives in a box under an elevated street in New York City. He opens a can, we don't know if it is tuna or pet food, he gives some to a kitten and eats the rest himself. Eventually he gets depressed to make a feeble attempt to kill himself, and doesn't succeed, but ends up in the hospital. There he meets Jacques.We've seen Brian Cox in so many American roles it is easy to forget he is from Scotland. Here he is Jacques, gruff and anti-social owner of the Oyster Bar, which quit serving food after an oyster killed a customer for the prior owner, so now he only serves alcoholic drinks. In his quirkiness he has 3 rules ... no "walk-ins", no women, and no being nice to customers. He has had several heart attacks and presently finds himself sharing a hospital room with Lucas.Jacques finds himself on the heart donor list, but believes he will die soon. So his bright idea is to bring Lucas into his bar and spartan upstairs apartment, train him to run the business, then give it to him when he dies.I believe there is a good movie within the framework of that plot, but it isn't the one they made. Too negative most of the time, too dark and depressing, and with an ending that the filmmakers must have thought, "Here's an ironic way to make all this come together." SPOILERS: Lucas is a slow learner, by the standards that Jacques has set. With too much empathy for others, he takes in a French Flight Attendant who is afraid to fly anymore, and she asks him to marry her right away so she will have a residence. He does, and all this just infuriates Jacques more. But in the end, Jacques softens up, still has a bad heart and, when the duck being fattened for the holidays escapes to the street, Lucas is hit and killed, his "good heart" goes to Jacques, who we see recuperating on a tropical beach.

jwaters1518 Brian Cox & Paul Dano are a remarkable pairing in a film that doesn't really accomplish much, but somehow remains okay. Jacques, a bitter bartender looking for someone to carry on his legacy stumbles upon Lucas, a homeless young adult who is hopelessly giving. The pairing between the two is what allows the film to float above complete disaster, as their on screen chemistry elevates the otherwise nonexistent storyline to a level slightly beyond entriguing. As Jacques determines to break the kid and turn him into a "proper bartender", one who does not help people but destroys them, he finds a kid unwilling to bend in his giving ways. This changes Jacques, but the seeds of contempt Jacques has planted within Lucas in his "lessons of life" rub a lot deeper. This movie would've easily gotten an 8 had it ended about 5 minutes earlier. I must say that there was a scene in the beginning where I knew exactly what would happen at the end of the film, and this not only cripples any film revolving around this as a plot device, it destroys the very purpose of the entire piece. The only reason to watch this film is Brian Cox & Paul Dano's amazing on screen chemistry, and that alone places this film slightly above palatable.

frosti-sigurjonsson This is a must see movie - goes on my list all time favorites.It is not a thriller but there is never a dull moment. It is no comedy either yet there were several occasions where I was laughing so hard that I was almost out of breath. It's difficult to classify.The script has everything. Excellent plot, really fantastic dialogs, interesting characters, unexpected turns and a surprise ending... a great story and its well told.The quality is excellent: filming, lighting, soundtrack, props, costumes ... everything. Brian Cox is fantastic as the grumpy bar owner... Paul Dano is convincing as the homeless young man.I thoroughly enjoyed this film.

PersianPlaya408 Dagur Kari's film The good heart was a good way to start a film festival in my eyes. I just got back from the screening, and although this film i heavily dramatic, i have to say the audience was laughing quite a bit, as was I. Its not a comedy though, just a film that some great comedic reliefs, and does a great job portraying a story of human interaction. In this case, Brian Cox is spectacular as a bitter, foul-mouthed and at times cynical barowner who takes in a homeless man in his early 20s (Dano) who he meets while being roommates with at the hospital where he has his 5th heart-attack. The film's strength lies in its script which gave its talented actors (mainly Cox, but also some talented character actors in the supporting cast who played some regulars at the bar). The cinematography is perfect and has aesthetic qualities, colors that show authenticity of the bar atmosphere. the Score is also quite suitable, and perfectly adds to the whole experience. Dagur Kari created somewhat of a gem with this film. perhaps it was also an advantage that i saw this in an impressive venue, on opening night of cinequest in the "California Theatre" with what seemed like almost 7 or 8 hundred people in attendance.