The Good Half Parent Guide

Renn (Nick Jonas) writes comedy but there’s nothing funny about what he’s dealing with now. His mother, Lily (Elisabeth Shue), has died after a grim battle with cancer, and now Renn’s returning to Cleveland for the funeral.

Not only is Renn struggling to accept the reality of his mother’s loss; he’s also reluctant to deal with the family on the ground – his insensitive stepfather (David Arquette), his well-meaning but tongue-tied father (Matt Walsh), and his justifiably aggrieved sister, Leigh (Brittany Snow). Luckily for him, Renn’s outbound flight brings him into the orbit of Zoey (Alexandra Shipp), an effervescent young psychologist with endless patience for his emotional turmoil.

The Good Half is a film in which not a lot happens. Renn travels to Cleveland, spars with his stepfather, resolves his relationship with his sister, cracks jokes to deal with his anxiety, squabbles over funeral arrangements, and eventually accepts the reality of his mother’s loss. The plot’s not exciting but at least it’s heartfelt (and occasionally funny).

Nick Jonas and Brittany Snow deserve credit for bringing the complexity of grief to the big screen through their angst-ridden characters. Anyone who has suffered a major loss will appreciate Renn’s sense of unreality – the stunned disbelief and difficulty in reorienting to life without that central person. For Renn, truly believing that his mother’s gone takes emotional work. As for Leigh, the challenges of caring for her dying mother (and negotiating her emotions as the least favored child) leave her in no doubt of the reality of her mother’s loss – but that doesn’t make her grief any easier.

With such a fine cast, my complaints about the film go to its negative content. There are over three dozen profanities in the script, including at least 15 sexual expletives. Adults also have some unhealthy coping mechanisms, particularly the consumption of alcohol. Strangely enough, there is a subplot that normalizes theft. Lily apparently had a habit of stealing small items from restaurants – spoons, tea cups – and this is considered to be a charming little quirk. Not only is this behavior remembered fondly by her kids, but they use it to justify an episode of housebreaking on Renn’s part. The movie has some sweet messages but this acceptance of theft is definitely not one of them.

The Good Half comes with some solid messages about acceptance, family solidarity, and family legacies, but, for some reason, it left me cold. It’s not a terrible film; it’s not a great film. It just didn’t hit me in the heart, which is a serious misfire for a family psychodrama.