Good Boy

I have to admit, the premise instantly piqued my interest, but unique premises in horror aren't really that hard to come by. Even with being the most ridiculed film genre, you'll be hard pressed to find more interesting stories than those found in horror, and this one is no exception. But at one hour and 12 minutes, it's really unfortunate that the potential of the premise wasn't fully realized, although the end result was more than satisfactory.

We have a tale about a girl who meets a man on a dating app, and that man happens to have a pet dog who is a man in a suit. Everything seems pretty "normal" for most of the movie (or as normal as anyone with a pet human dog can be), until things take a turn and everything is flipped upside down. But why is it happening? Why is Frank a dog to begin with? So many unanswered questions, that an hour and some change did not give adequate time to have answered. As such, I was really going to write this movie off as wasted potential, until that ending.....

I've seen some creepy stuff in horror, but that ending sent a shiver down my spine. The films entire runtime was banking on that ending, and for that alone, it went from a forgettable film to a (dare I say) great one that people will be talking about for quite some time. There is no gore, very little violence, and no nudity, but the creepiness scale stays at a 10 throughout almost the entire film, and for that, it deserves at least a watch. True horror fans will surely appreciate it.

The film "Good Boy" is notable for its incredibly unusual and impactful premise, where a man behaves like a dog, creating a bizarre and unintentionally comical experience in certain scenes. While it may be slow for some viewers, the film's pace gradually becomes darker and more engaging. It offers an interesting critique of dating and modern relationships, delving into psychological analysis of love obsessions and power dynamics. However, it suffers from inconsistent writing, with the protagonist making implausible decisions, and it missed the opportunity to deliver a more impactful and disturbing narrative.

This is a lean, taut suspense film--only 80 minutes long, and more than half of that is truly suspenseful and unnerving. There are only four actors in the movie, and they all do an excellent job of seeming like real people with real motivations, blind spots, and flaws. For the most part, writer/director Viljar Bøe does an excellent job of showing us things that don't quite make sense and convincing us that it's not necessarily irrational or unreasonable. He creates a feeling akin to being seduced into a toxic relationship, where in hindsight you realize how abundant all the red flags were but in the moment you're willing to rationalize and excuse every individual one. If this is allegorical horror, then its allegory is for the poor "NTA" victims on the Reddit thread "Am I The A**H***?", who post detailed narratives of having been gaslit by psychopaths yet seem totally clueless about the blame not being their own.

That said, once the mystery is revealed about midway through the movie, the movie does lose a great deal of its suspense as characters quickly devolve into horror movie stereotypes. While the second half is disappointing, it's not so bad that it brings the whole film down--plus, the final moments are fresh and surprising enough that they'll guarantee the film's haunting images will stick with you for a few days. On top of that, Bøe's writing wisely leaves a lot of backstory unsaid, leaving audiences with plenty of queasy questions that they won't want to think about the answers to. A lesser film would feel the need to tidy things up more.

I'd recommend this for anyone who's into disturbing thrillers. The strong acting, masterful editing, and original premise are enough to earn a solid recommendation, even if the final act doesn't fully live up to the movie's promised potential. I eagerly anticipate Bøe's next film.

This movie could've been creepy, unsettling, could've been one of those that keeps you guessing with twists, turns and thrilling suspense. It was heading that way, at least.

But then, halfway through the movie, most is revealed in a short and not at all shocking scene and that's it. You're left with no questions about what's actually happening, there wasn't enough build up, there wasn't enough guessing, it went from "an unusual but OK situation" to "an unusual and BAD situation" without any real development from one to the other. There are no great discoveries, no "I didn't see this coming", there's no gradual uncovering of the truth. It feels rushed and half assed, feels like the writer had all this creepy story planned out but got lazy halfway through it.

And from then the movie starts tripping and falling over the typical thriller/horror movie unnerving cliches that just make you angry at the victims for their utter incompetence and stupidity. And that's how it ends, as a predictable lazy attempt at what could've been great.

Girl meets boy through a dating app only to find he lives with someone who believes himself a dog.

The bizarre premise is what brought me to this movie. It does a good job keeping you entertained and curious. The nature of the plot is unsettling enough to give this movie a chance. The dog costume, though simple, is disturbing, to say the least, as are many of the situations seen throughout the movie. However, I feel the end result is a wasted opportunity. The premise was a perfect recipe to make a disturbing movie. Good Boys has its moments, but in the end, it fails to deliver. The ending was not good.