Good Boy – Review and Summary

Good Boy lacks the genuine fear that something may happen to its lead, thus taking away from its potential engagement.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on
Title Card – Good Boy

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“Good Boy” Film Details

  • Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 12 Minutes
  • Seen Via: Early Screening
  • Released On: In Theaters
  • Public Release Date: October 1, 205
  • Director(s): Ben Leonberg
  • Writer(s): Alex Cannon, Ben Leonberg
  • Primary Language: English
  • Genre(s): Horror
  • Rating: Rated PG-13
  • Distributor: Independent Film Company, Shudder
  • Official Site Link

Movie Summary

Indy’s owner, Todd, is sick. He has been for quite some time to the point that his sister, Vera, is deeply worried, and calls constantly, even visits him frequently. Because he doesn’t like all this fuss, Todd decides to move to their grandpa’s home out in a rural area, far from civilization, and for Indy, the shadows, the sounds, what they smell and sense, make nearly every day a nightmare-inducing experience.

Cast and Characters

Indy (Indy)

Indy looking for Todd – Good Boy
Indy – Good Boy (Independent Film Company, Shudder)
  • Character Summary: Indy is Todd’s dog, whom he has had since he was a puppy, and who is his best friend.

Todd (Shane Jensen)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Todd is a relatively young man who clearly is sick with a disease that is threatening his mortality. He is coughing up blood, and how much longer he has is debatable.

Vera (Arielle Friedman)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Vera is Todd’s sister, who is immensely worried about him.

What To Expect In “Good Boy” (Rated PG-13) – Content Overview

  • Dialog:
    • Cursing: Occasional
  • Violence:
    • Gore/ Blood/ Body Horror: Bleeding
  • Miscellaneous:
    • Drinking: Yes

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

While Indy’s Fear Doesn’t Scare You, It Is Understood [82/100]

It’s clear when it comes to Good Boy that Indy’s fear is rooted in what they can uniquely smell and sense. His owner is dying, and he senses that, and it potentially is manifesting into a dark entity. One that is maybe a version of Todd that is who Indy sees him as, especially as Todd’s anger morphs him into something else. Heck, it could even be Indy’s fear of something happening to him, for while Indy is doing their best to be there for Todd, it isn’t beyond their understanding that if something happens to Todd, Indy is next.

So when it comes to this dark figure, whether it is Todd at his worst, a stranger taking Indy, or maybe whatever is in the basement, you understand why, for a dog, the fear of the unknown is potent.

On The Fence

Connecting With Characters Can Be Hard [72/100]

While having a dog star as the lead is certainly different, it comes with caveats. First and foremost, it creates a double-edged sword. Dog lovers likely aren’t going to like the idea of Indy being put in perilous situations, where it can be teased that they may get scared, hurt, or even killed.

On top of that, Indy can make noises, some faces, but this isn’t a movie reliant on how cute they are. This isn’t a movie made for kids; it is for adults, and the appeal of Indy looking like they could star in a family movie wanes quickly. There needs to be a sense of peril for the film to work as a horror. Which Good Boy never does.

On top of that, there isn’t a strong reason to invest in any of the humans who could be harmed, assuming the dark entity isn’t just Indy’s fears manifesting from shadows. Todd, while it is sad and acknowledged that he is dying, as for what he is dying from, who he is beyond Vera’s brother, Indy’s owner, and someone who is sick? That isn’t gone into. Heck, most of the time you can’t even see his face.

Then, with Vera, she is maybe on screen two or three times, and outside of that, she is a voice worried about Todd. Again, who she is is not explored, so this leaves you with a movie that presents no real threat to its leads, no notable reason to invest in them, and lacks scary moments to at least make any of them a medium.

Overall

Our Rating (77/100): Mixed (Divisive)

Good Boy may have an interesting idea, but what is required to make this a good horror movie, one that truly creates a sense of fear, isn’t present. Indy is rarely, if ever, in a state where you think they will notably get hurt. His owner, while in an unfortunate situation, doesn’t have anything to connect with or his sister. Add on a villain that is more so Indy’s fear, maybe things sensed from Todd’s grandfather and his grandfather’s dog, and you get a film which feels much longer than an hour and 12 minutes, and, again, while an interesting idea, it doesn’t go as far as it would need to be a good one.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.