The Good Half – Movie Review
First Reaction – The Good Half brings us an emotional story about losing a loved one.
Director: Robert Schwartzman
Writer: Brett Ryland (Screenplay)
Cast
- Nick Jonas (Jumanji)
- Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect)
- Alexandra Shipp (Love Simon)
- David Arquette (Scream)
- Matt Walsh (Veep)
Plot: Renn Wheeland returns home to Cleveland for his mother’s funeral. Once there, he forges new relationships while healing old ones, before confronting his problems and trying to face his grief.
Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Good Half starts when Renn (Jonas) reluctantly travels home to Cleveland. His mother Lily (Shue) is planning her funeral and Renn must put aside his differences with his sister Leigh (Snow). However, he meets a stranger Zoey (Shipp), on a plane, creating a new relationship.
As Renn prepares to say his final goodbye, he looks back at his relationship with his mother. His memories are filled with the good and bad times he had. But he must prepare for his future without her in his life.
Verdict on The Good Half
Recap
The movie follows a man who returns home for his mother’s funeral. He has an estranged relationship with his family and looks back at his relationship with his mother. However, he must face his emotions, which have held him back during his fight to find himself in life.
Best Parts
There is a journey most people would have to go through in life, losing a parent will bring a host of emotions to light. It highlights that, however difficult a relationship with family is, you can always rebuild bridges. We get excellent performances, with Nick Jonas potentially giving his best to date.
Worst Parts
The movie does use time jumps to relive the moments Renn had with his mother. Sometimes, I can be a bit jarring to pick up where you are in the story. Elsewhere, it doesn’t seem to touch enough on Leigh’s feelings and her battle with losing her mother is left for her to fight alone.
Final Thoughts –The Good Half has a good emotional core.

