Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- deadpan
- tender
- quiet evening
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an uneven, mixed dramedy whose strongest asset is Brian Cox's performance and the emotional growth of its characters.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jacques demands emotional distance and strict bar rules while Lucas repeatedly responds to strangers with generosity.
Jacques's bar is the central space where Lucas is recruited, customers are managed, and April's arrival tests the established order.
Lucas's suicide attempt and Jacques's failing health are balanced by comic rules about customers, flowers, candles, and freezer-stored cash.
Jacques's repeated heart attacks and desire for a successor are contrasted with Lucas's instinctive empathy and April's need for shelter.
Films like The Good Heart, and why
The Station Agent
shared melancholic character drama, unconventional friendship, and emotionally tender outsider protagonists
Lars and the Real Girl
shared bittersweet romantic drama, lonely characters, and understated humor
Leaving Las Vegas
shared intimate barroom setting, damaged characters, and warm but melancholy humanism
Punch-Drunk Love
shared quirky romantic dramedy, emotional vulnerability, and offbeat tonal balance
Movie Details
- Director
- Dagur Kári
- Release Date
- 2009-09-11
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (99)
Cast
- Brian Cox
- Paul Dano
- Stephanie Szostak
- Isild Le Besco
- Bill Buell
- Ed Wheeler
- Clark Middleton
- Edmund Lyndeck
- Daniel Raymont
- Damian Young
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Good Heart about?
- A suicidal homeless young man softens the brutal rules of a dying New York bar owner when an equally vulnerable French woman seeks refuge.
- What is The Good Heart like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Good Heart as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Good Heart violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Good Heart as mild.
- What did critics think of The Good Heart?
- Critics broadly found the film an uneven, mixed dramedy whose strongest asset is Brian Cox's performance and the emotional growth of its characters.
- Which films are like The Good Heart?
- Films with a similar feel include The Station Agent, Lars and the Real Girl, Leaving Las Vegas, and Punch-Drunk Love.
- How long is The Good Heart?
- The Good Heart runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Good Heart?
- In United States, The Good Heart streams on Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel.
