Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

SnoopyStyle Lucas (Paul Dano) is homeless in New York. His failed suicide attempt sends him to the hospital where he is befriended by his roommate sour bar owner Jacques (Brian Cox). Jacques has a bad heart and wants Lucas to take over his bar 'House of Oysters' when he's gone. Jacques serves his regulars with a standoffish respect and hates walk-ins. He gives Lucas new clothes and a haircut. To his horrors, Lucas gives away espressos to the homeless and is friendly with the customers. One rainy night, distraught flight attendant April (Isild Le Besco) walks into the bar. There is the usual cast of characters, and a duck.This is a dark New York fable with two amazing leading men. None of these characters are particularly endearing although Lucas has his charms. Jacques is a grumpy old man. There are plenty of dark quirkiness. It rambles a bit. The ending is problematic. While the accident is a nice dark turn, I don't like where Jacques ended up. I would have preferred him working at the bar in the end as it fades to black. It's disappointing and an unengaging way to finish.

dangabriel This movie is about Brian Cox... Director Dagur Kari provides a stage. Paul Dano is great being a looking-glass. But Brian Cox's Jacques is monumental, he literally carries the action from the first second he steps in. He energizes the viewer, no matter how one classifies his moral actions. The bar scene is one of surrealistic charm, dwelled by decameronesque characters and maintained as a personal fiefdom by Jacques. The short story on the cover is "A bartender takes a young homeless man in under his wing" but there is so MUCH more to it. Lucas (Paul Dano) represents here a humanity clear of prejudice, pure and immortal. The suicide attempt doesn't stop him. Nor does death itself, his heart symbolically living on in another body. Supporting actress Isild le Besco is somehow incongruous, offering not believable French accented replies. Underwhelming, as her debut movies in France, where her naked skin prevails. Probably a strong actress, I am thinking here Emily Mortimer, or Marie-Louise Parker, or, -if they really wanted a French one, how about Sandrine Kiberlain? -would have done much better. Solidly memorable, Brian Cox gives this movie so much personality and energy that only true talent can offer. In line with Anthony Hopkins and Ben Kingsley, Cox is another Musqueteer of a generation of powerful performances from Britain to enchant us. Watch this great movie, and a bar will never look the same to you!

tod3058 After making such a great debut film Noi Albino, and following that up with the fairly enjoyable Dark Horse, it pains me to tell you that The Good Heart is a real let down. Apart from it's look I can't pick out any other positives. It's puzzling to know why the director decided to make this film in English, apart from maybe a greater chance at financial success, as the story and characters have no relevance to their surroundings. It's nauseatingly quirky, desperately predictable and me and my friends were extremely disappointed.I plead to Dagur Kári, the director, to go back to where he knows and develop his trade. One more film like this and he will be well and truly struck off my list.

larry-411 I attended the North American Premiere of "The Good Heart" at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. Brian Cox and Paul Dano (reunited after the 2001 indie classic "L.I.E.") pull off a tour de force that left me breathless in this character piece from Icelandic writer/director Dagur Kári.The film opens with Lucas (Dano) barely eking out a living in a cardboard box under a rusty highway overpass, with only a scrawny kitten as a companion. Jacques (Cox) runs a worn old bar where he's beginning to take on its characteristics. The two meet and a classic intergenerational arc is set up that carries the film to the end.The film is dominated by a triumphant performance from Cox, one of the film world's masters. Shot primarily in one interior location, the theatrical nature of the script lends itself to playful interaction between the two leads. The chemistry between Cox and Dano began in 2001 with "L.I.E." and there's still magic in that relationship, forged over time as Dano has matured as an actor and into manhood. Interestingly, there are some references to cars and shaving which have carried over from "L.I.E." to "The Good Heart," intentional or not. Conflict is infused by the sudden appearance of April (Isild Le Besco), who forces the two to take sides even as their friendship is beginning to blossom.Shot with mostly hand-held camera by cinematographer Rasmus Videbæk, "The Good Heart's" grainy film stock, washed out colors, and natural lighting without compensation for shadows give the film an honest look. A sweet soundtrack is mostly provided by the player piano that holds a prominent place in the bar. It's a clever and amusing device.A long time in the making, "The Good Heart" spent five years in production with exteriors in New York and interiors in Iceland. Cox's introduction after the screening brought the first standing ovation of the festival.