Top Stories

'The Good Half' Review: Nick Jonas and Brittany Snow Are Heartbreaking and Heartwarming

'The Good Half' is a run of the mill grief dramedy with good jokes, a subpar romance plot, and great performances by Nick Jonas and Brittany Snow

Nick Jonas, Brittany Snow, David Arquette, Elisabeth Shue in The Good Half

via Tribea Film Festival

Nick Jonas is on a roll. He’s in the middle of The Jonas Brothers’ THE TOUR (think their version of Taylor’s Era tour, where they perform 5 of their albums in one night). He just appeared in Love Again as a secondary character alongside his wife, Priyanka Chopra. And now, he’s starring in The Good Half, an indie dramedy that premiered at Tribeca Film Festival on June 8th.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

Netflix continues to resuscitate the rom-com art form after the major success of movies like To All The Boys I've Loved, Summer of Love, The Kissing Booth, and Set It Up, among a slew of others.

The streaming platform's latest feel-good offering is called Someone Great. The Jennifer Kaytin Robinson-written-and-directed Netflix original movie tracks the emotional arc of a breakup over the course of a night of drugs, tequila shots, and lots of dancing––plus a soundtrack full of anthemic gems.

Someone Great finds New York-based music journalist, Jenny (Gina Rodriguez), reeling from a breakup with her boyfriend of nine years, Nate (Lakeith Stanfield), after she accepts a job at Rolling Stone that requires her to move across the country to San Francisco.

Soon, Jenny recruits the help of her best friends—stick-in-the-mud type A, Blair (Brittany Snow) and Peter Pan syndromer, Erin (Dewanda Wise)––to embark on a wild night. Soon, the girls are running around New York City in what can only be described as a millennial scavenger hunt. They visit drug dealers and Instagrammable pop-up shops that sell "feminist" shirts, in the pursuit of "rebound outfits" and hype molly.

Like any adventure that takes place over the course of 24 hours, there are a host of run-ins and cameos. There's the appearance of Mikey (Jaboukie Young-White), the Craigslist dealer who rides around on a hoverboard in a Soho loft (bought by his parents) as he preaches about the importance of Time's Up, before disclosing that he doesn't actually have the tickets the ladies came for but would be down for an orgy. The ladies also meet Nate's Cousin (played by Rosario Dawson) in an awkward run-in on the street. The trio goes on a mission to get molly from the fabulous Hype (RuPaul) who beckons the ladies into his fuzzy pink den where he shows off an aquarium of illegal baby sharks. Some of the cameos work better than others, but they all serve to pepper chaos and absurdity into the buzzy film's zig-zagging plot. Finally, all of the scavenging culminate in a visit to Neon Classic, an exclusive party that Nate and Jenny used to frequent together.

While the film certainly tailors to the millennial demographic, sometimes the writing can feel preening, in a #YaaasQueen sort of way. When this movie tries to be funny, the dialogue delivery tends to fall flat and sound more like a viral tweet than an actual conversation between real friends. But when it turns dramatic, it can tug at your heartstrings in a way you might not expect. That's not to say there aren't genuinely, energetic funny moments.

Robinson employs a useful tactic to give context to the relationship and add some emotional texture by interspersing flashbacks throughout. As the girls gallivant from Soho to the Lower East Side to Williamsburg, Jenny's thoughts are invaded with memories of Nate. Films that take place over the course of one night –– think Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Rough Night, American Graffiti — can often falter when it comes to adding the depth that's usually earned from longer timelines. These flashbacks, however, are Someone Great's emotional core. You get a glimpse into the disintegration of the relationship, as scenes flash of the two fighting, screaming, and having hard-to-watch makeup sex as Mitski plays in the background.

In her starring role as Jenny, Rodriguez delivers an electric performance, navigating easily from bursts of comedic dialogue and tequila-aided dancing to genuine moments of hurt and confusion. The breakup scene, in particular, is heart-wrenching. Lakeith's performance is also brimming with hard-to-resist charisma, and throughout the movie, it's hard to figure out whether you're rooting for the two to get back together or finally move on to bigger and better things. Meanwhile, Jenny's trying to figure out the same thing. The two actors dynamic portrayals of Jenny and Nate further complicate the usual formulaic quality of a rom-com, and while the movie still follows a classic chick flick structure, it feels a little more rooted in lived experiences than other movies of its type.

Part of that is achieved by the expert performances but is also largely due to the excellently curated soundtrack. From the dark, broody folk of Phoebe Bridgers to the melancholy synth-pop of Robyn, Someone Great is full of musical gems. The expectedly sing-able anthem of Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" plays as the girls dance around Jenny's apartment, swigging straight from the bottle. Selena's "Dreaming of You" plays in a bodega and sends Jenny into an emotional, teary-eyed ballad right then and there in front of the drinks fridge. Vampire Weekend's "Mansard Roof" transports Jenny to the night of her junior year at college when she met Nate at a party. Along the way, you can hear contemporary classics like Frank Ocean's "Moon River," and some oldies from the likes of Sam Cooke. It's full of tracks that feel applicable to any millennial woman's experience as if Jennifer Kaytin Robinson ripped them straight from your private Spotify breakup playlist.

Along the way, Blair and Erin reveal their own relationship struggles tied to growing up and entering their '30s. Working at a PR firm, Blair just wants stability, which is why she plays it safe with her current goofy boyfriend (Alex Moffat). But in reality, she craves more excitement, which manifests in a sometimes cringy affair with a music business fuckboy. Erin, on the other hand, is afraid of feeling stagnant. She's chronically late to work, always has a beer or joint in hand, and can't find the will to commit to her current girlfriend (Rebecca Naomi Jones). While the film is largely centered around relationships and breakups, it becomes clear that its real essence lies within the friendship dynamic between Jenny, Blair, and Erin.

Someone Great isn't just about Jenny figuring out how to move on from a relationship, but also how to move on from her 20s, a period marked by feeling in love and carefree. Now that she's moving to San Francisco to work at Rolling Stone, she's not only leaving behind the love of her life but the city where she came of age alongside her best friends. Everyone in the movie is, in some capacity, grappling with the issue of how to say goodbye to their younger selves and accept the responsibility of growing up. But before any of that can happen, there's only one way to bid farewell—one last long, crazy night in the city that never sleeps.


Sara is a Brooklyn-based music and culture writer.


POP⚡DUST | Read More...

Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, and the Sexist Backlash Against Female Sadness

Kodak Black Arrested at U.S. Border on Weapons, Drug Charges

Lizzo Releases New "Juice" Video Featuring "RuPaul's Drag Race" Queens

TV

Oprah, "Neverland," and a Lot of Casting: This Week in TV

While you were still wiping up your sweat/drool from the "Shallow" performance, picking your jaw up off of the floor after Green Book won Best Picture, and humming along to the very classic songs from the "Co-Op" soundtrack, here's the TV news you may have missed.

imageSPACE/Shutterstock

While you were still wiping up your sweat/drool from the "Shallow" performance, picking your jaw up off of the floor after Green Book won Best Picture, and humming along to the very classic songs from the "Co-Op" soundtrack, here's the TV news you may have missed.

Oprah to Calm us all Down after Leaving Neverland

Leaving Neverland, the documentary about Michael Jackson's alleged sexual abuse of two young boys in the 1990s is so harrowing that counselors were waiting in the lobby during intermission of the film's premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Because HBO can't provide counselors to all viewers when it airs the reportedly grueling, sexually-explicit 4-hour documentary on Sunday and Monday, they will air a special hosted by TV and entertainment's most comforting presence: Oprah. On Oprah Winfrey Presents: Leaving Neverland, Winfrey will host a Q&A with Jackson accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck. The special will be taped in front of an audience of sexual abuse survivors and will air at 10 pm on March 4, immediately following the conclusion of the 2-part series (part 1 airs March 3 at 8 pm). Jackson's estate and family have denied all allegations.

JBH Replaces KLG

The Today Show officially announced that Kathie Lee Gifford would pass her wine glass along to Jenna Bush Hager. Gifford announced her departure from the fourth hour of Today with co-star Hoda Kotb last December. Hager, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, has been at Today since 2009 as a reporter and regular correspondent. Gifford, who herself claims to have "been in this business for 120 years," has co-hosted with Kotb for nearly 11 years. No word yet on who they will tap to record a new theme song.

90210.2

We are truly living in the era of Peak TV. Just when you think everything has been done, a new show jumps on the scene to provide an entirely new idea of what TV can achieve. The reboot of Beverly Hills, 90210 is not that show. Fox released a 10-second teaser announcing the return of the series, set for this summer. The gang is headed back to the Hills—stars Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green, and Tori Spelling are all confirmed, so far—only this time, the actors will be playing versions of themselves who get meet up to try to put a reboot together. Did you follow that? The reboot is about the reboot. Clever. Let's hope no one mentions the 2008 rebooted version or the universe will implode.

NBC's Got Love for the 99

After a slap-dash, 48-hour resuscitation following Fox's cancelation, NBC has once again given new life to Brooklyn Nine-Nine, this time renewing it for a seventh season. Nine-Nine has proven to be good business for NBC, and they recently expanded their sixth season order from 13 episodes to 18. Its dedicated and vocal fanbase took to Twitter to gif their excitement, but the best, most heartwarmingly on-brand tweet had to be the one in which the cast and crew learn the news.

Casting Calls

This week ushered in a slew of casting news. Brittany Snow will star in an untitled Fox drama based on the Australian Sisters, to be directed by Russian Doll's Leslye Headland. Jane the Virgin spinoff, Jane the Novela, has found its new Jane in East Los High's Jacqueline Grace Lopez. Showtime darling Damian Lewis (Homeland, Billions) will head to A+E with Damian Lewis: Spy Wars, a docu-drama look at real stories of global espionage. Goodfella Ray Liotta is said to be joining the cast of David Chase's Sopranos prequel movie, The Many Saints of Newark. And, in casting that wasn't: George R. R. Martin will not be making a cameo in the final season of Game of Thrones.

And, Finally, Watch Steve Carell Jump Out of a Box for Jenna Fischer

He presented himself as a gift for his former co-star's birthday on Busy Tonight.


Rebecca Linde is a writer and cultural critic in NYC. She tweets about pop culture and television @rklinde.



POP⚡DUST | Read More...

Please Enjoy This List of Actors Insulting Their Own Movies

The Best and Worst of the Awkward Ordeal That Was the 2019 Oscars