The Good Heart (2009)

The Good Heart is one of those rare, bruised little films that finds tenderness in the ashtray—an offbeat New York barroom fable where dark humor and genuine feeling sit at the same table. Dagur Kári gives the story a dry, deadpan pulse, and then lets Brian Cox and Paul Dano do the heavy lifting: Cox turns sourness into something oddly magnetic, while Dano brings a fragile decency that keeps the movie from ever feeling cynical. The vibe is melancholy but slyly funny, the kind of comedy that sneaks up on you between hard truths, and when the drama lands it has real weight without begging for tears. It’s not for everyone—there’s rough language, heavy drinking, and a few unsettling images—but if you’re in the mood for a humane, slightly twisted character piece, it’s a small gem worth nursing to the last sip.

The Good Heart wants to be a scruffy, offbeat fable about a dying bar owner trying to pass on his hard-earned cynicism to a lost kid, and on paper that’s a solid setup for bittersweet comedy and redemption. In practice, it can feel like the film is nudging you toward emotion rather than earning it, with plot turns that play a bit predictable and a quirky tone that sometimes undercuts the drama instead of sharpening it. If you’re allergic to sentimentality, or you want your character arcs to unfold with more realism than “movie logic,” this may test your patience—especially with the heavy drinking, harsh language, and a few disturbing images. Still, Brian Cox brings real bite and presence, Paul Dano adds a fragile sincerity, and if you like small, oddball stories set in one grimy corner of New York, there’s enough atmosphere to keep you watching even when it wobbles.