What really makes a good house? There are three meanings to the title of Dreamworks' The Good House, one of the last movies to open at TIFF 2021. Writers and directors Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky’s film, about a New England relator with a drinking problem, is dramatic comedy that’s pure comfort food. And it tastes delicious.
Great taste can come even in less reputable wines so long as it’s the right bottle and you’re in the right mood. Having stars like Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline as your leads helps, and it gets even better when you watch them having so much fun flirting together on screen.
Based on Ann Leary’s 2013 novel of the same name, the story follows several months in the life of Hildy Good (Weaver) at age 60 as she’s recovering from time in rehab and trying to get her small town real estate business back on track.
That doesn’t seem like there’s much plot to be had, but there’s a terrific set of neighbours in an interconnected web as romances, sales and setups are sorted out. None the least is Hildy’s secretly drinking again - first alone, then with friends - and there’s a renewed romance with contractor Frank (Kline, in a subtle but funny performance.)
It’s easy to like Hildy, especially as she effortlessly oozes charm both with her friends in Westover and directly with us, the audience. Good’s slight recklessness is easily forgiven because Weaver plays her so sly to the camera; every time she talks directly to the viewer, it’s like she’s telling us her new favourite secret, and you can’t resist wanting to know what she has to say.
Forbes and Wolodarsky’s screenplay gives Weaver great material, but she plays it with all the expected talent from a seasoned veteran like herself. Both the actor and script compel us to empathize with Hildy and dread the inevitable moment her relapse back into drinking is discovered.
Sigourney Weaver really is terrific and the best part of the film. That’s a good thing because she spends a lot of one-on-one time with the audience and she’s on camera almost the whole movie, but there’s a reason she’s one of the true Hollywood greats.
The gravitas doesn’t come until the last few scenes, when Hildy predictably goes one step too far with her secretive drinking and finally has to confront her key relationships that she’s been avoiding all movie. Just because it’s predictable doesn’t make it bad. It just prevents the story from being great.
It’s a wonderfully pleasant comedy with a few astute ideas about what it takes to address our burdens and how we help others do it too. In more ways than one, the focal question is what makes a good house?
Even though Hildy drinks mostly red, the film is like a good sauvignon blanc: familiar, a dry taste, and thoroughly pleasant.
The Good House
7 out of 10
14A, 1hr 54mins. Comedy Drama.
Written and Directed by Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky.
Starring Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney and Rebecca Henderson.
Available for TIFF digital rental and in-person screenings this Saturday, Sept. 18, with tickets and rentals available here. Scheduled for release in fall 2021.
Want to read reviews for more TIFF films? Reviews for more than 100 titles this year are and/or will be available here on Tyler Collins' personal website throughout the festival.
**Correction: A previous version of this story said the production company behind the film was Universal Studios. It now correctly says the studio is Dreamworks.
