The past few years have not been easy for Hildy Good, the protagonist of The Good House, the delightful and captivating adaptation of Ann Leary’s peculiar novel, which tells the story of a formerly successful real estate agent who proudly calls herself the North Shore’s top broker and has made many life-long friends along the way, but who has recently fallen on hard times as a result of a variety of misfortunes – an amicable but ill-timed divorced from her supportive husband, her two daughters leaving the nest to pursue their own adult lives, and the fact that her business has gradually declined as a result of a shrinking market in her small New England town, which she previously saw as her domain – and then there is the alcoholism, which she refuses to believe is the root of all of her problems. Leary’s novel has been brought to the screen by the directing duo of Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, who have previously collaborated on a couple of projects, whether as writers or directors, and who have grown to have a very interesting style (albeit not one that is all that distinct yet – they’ve still got some way to go before fully establishing themselves as filmmakers in the same way that they have proven to be excellent writers), and the result is a fascinating curio of a film, one that addresses major issues in a way that is challenging and subversive, but also life-affirming and endearing, depicting the daily challenges of an ordinary woman who is trying to get her life back together after a series of obstacles, which ultimately gives us strong insights into the psychological underpinnings of this community. A captivating but thought-provoking account of human weakness and vulnerability, The Good House is a much more complex film than we’d imagine based on a cursory glance, and one that is worth every bit of time, even when it has a few minor flaws.

Marketing can be very misleading, and based on the premise and general tone we are presented with before seeing the film, you’d expect this to be a charming and compelling comedy that touches on a few deeper issues, but remains relatively mild and sedate when it comes to actually exploring them in depth. Much like Leary’s novel, this was likely done on purpose, because in reality, The Good House is one of the more bleak films of recent years. It is still a comedy, but one that is far darker and has a more sinister side that many of us may not be expecting when venturing into this film. This is a film that centres squarely around the main character and her inability to admit to her alcohol problem, and it’s quite rare to find stories that look at the impact of addiction on people like the character of Hildy – she is an older woman who has made a success of her business, has raised a well-adjusted family and leads a relatively happy life, which are the ideal for many people. Portraying her in this way prevents the film being given an easy route to explain her dependency on alcohol, and instead forces it to reveal deeper layers of the character, exploring her past and constructing a vivid psychological analysis of her internal existential quandaries, which aid in explaining how she evolved from a social drinker to someone who had a legitimate problem. Almost all of this is hidden in the promotion for the film – if anything, her addiction is hinted at being just another quirk of her personality, not the self-destructive force that nearly causes her to entirely collapse into psychological despair. The Good House is a worthy addition to canonical films about the struggles of alcoholism like The Lost Weekend and Days of Wine and Roses, and considering we rarely find these stories told from the perspective of this kind of character, it adds a lot of new context to a common theme, giving it nuance and complexity that seemed previously inaccessible, since this subject is more focused towards male characters in many situations, making The Good House an immediately more complex film.

Considering how much of The Good House depended on how the main character was constructed, it was vital to get the right actors cast, since this story essentially hinges on the strength of the performances. One simply cannot go wrong when casting Sigourney Weaver – as one of the greatest actors of the past half-century, she has proven herself to be a superb talent on multiple occasions, one of the pioneers of female-led action and science fiction cinema, and generally the kind of legendary performer that is easy to overlook in comparison to some of her contemporaries, who are often given preference for more intimate, character-based dramas, normally leaving the genre films for Weaver. As a result, we find her thriving in every genre, honing her craft across several different films. The Good House contains some of her best work – there is no one in this film that can overshadow her, and the directors make sure to put her in a position where all our attention is on her, and the rest of the supporting cast is merely supplementary to her stunning performance. This is an intimate character study about a woman struggling with addiction and doing whatever she can to take control of her life (or at least convincingly masquerade as someone who others may think have a grasp on reality, since the character operates under the belief that one only needs to convince those around her that she is on the right track, which allows her to engage in whatever activity behind closed doors), and Weaver rises to the occasion, developing a character who is complex, endearing and frequently compelling. She rarely aims for the low-hanging fruit, and instead chooses to turn in a multilayered performance in the places where a less-ambitious actor may have chosen to just follow the same predictable formula. It’s one of Weaver’s best performances in well over a decade, and a strong reminder that, even as a film icon who could easily rest on her laurels based on years of laborious effort, she is still willing to put in the work, turning in a strong portrayal of this fascinating character, who we soon come to appreciate a lot more based on the perfect collision between Weaver’s commitment to the role, and the directors’ dedication to crafting a meaningful story around this terrific performance.

However, as much as we could unpack the theme of addiction, which is undeniably the most significant theme of the film (since every event that occurs throughout the film is filtered through the protagonist’s struggle with alcoholism), this is not the only concept that makes The Good House so compelling. If it was intended to be a dire, sobering account of the influence of alcohol abuse, it would not have been constructed as a comedy, especially since some of the imagery used in this film would be more expected in a hard-hitting, psychological drama that looks at how addiction can cause one’s entire life to spiral out of control. Instead of this, we encounter a film that is surprisingly sedate and nuanced, carrying a certain elegant wit that is quite unexpected, even if we go into it expecting a charming, upbeat comedy. Situating the film in a small seaside New England town was a good choice, since it emphasizes the community-based nature of the story, with the idea of a close-knit circle of friends and acquaintances being much more effective than one set in a sprawling cityscape. It also gives the film a more intimate feeling, with the tranquillity of this small town being one of the more moving aspects of the story – these are characters striving to live very simple lives in which the smallest pleasures are the ideal, and where one only has to aspire to a few creature comforts in order to be content, which ties into the broader, more serious themes of the story, looking at a character who has everything she needs, but still chooses to pursue a vice that she refuses to acknowledge has been behind many of her personal and professional failures. There are several very interesting ideas that go into the construction of the film, which is an oddly life-affirming work that gradually moves between comedy and drama to have a very precise and nuanced control of a range of issues, each one is given the time and attention it needed to fully flourish and become the foundation for this charming and insightful character study.

The Good House is a much better film than it appears to be at a cursory glance. Part of the cynicism associated with this film comes in the directors – Forbes and Wolodarsky are good writers, but their directorial efforts have been middling. There was a level of cynicism that came when it was announced that they would be adapting this novel, which already had allegations of being too sentimental for its own good. As a result, bringing this story to the screen would need a very precise attention to detail, one in which the narrative would not depend on cliches in order to be successful. This is not the kind of film that is easily marketed, especially since it is covering darker material, which is not necessarily the most exciting prospect, especially for the target audience that would most likely be alluded to this film, under the pretence that it is a charming and lovable comedy about navigating one’s twilight years. Credit must be given to the directors, as well as co-writer Thomas Bezucha(whose presence was invaluable – like Forbes and Wolodarsky, he has had a tumultuous track record, but his screenwriting efforts have been mostly very strong, and he’s proven himself to be quite reliable as a filmmaker), in how they maintain a very consistent oscillation between humour and pathos, which gives The Good House a lot of complexity, and allows it to employ conventions in a way that makes sense, rather than depending on them to propel the entire story. Ultimately, this film may not be exactly what we’d expect, but outside of a slightly more bleak tone (which is not helped by the fact that it is filmed in very muted colours, perhaps to reflect the more downbeat reality in which Hildy exists), but it has a very heartwarming storyline that uses challenging conventions as the foundation for its meaningful, earnest depiction of the obstacles that face those who suffer from addiction. It may not be vital in comparison to other films that centre on the subject, but its heartfulness and willingness to engage with more serious issues in a manner that is respectful and interesting, is one of its great merits, and more than enough reason to qualify this film as a resounding success, and one of the year’s most intriguing surprises, and one that is well worth the time of anyone seeking a charming comedy that is not afraid of inserting some pointed commentary where it is necessary to the story and its depiction of some of life’s harshest realities.