Good Time

Man what a movie. Every time I watch this it seems to get better and much more anxiety inducing than before. There’s a lot to unpack from the social commentary on capitalism, racism, and white privilege to the themes of drug addiction, greed, and exploitation. Connie embodies desperation. Everything he does is only done because it benefits him and only him. He doesn’t care about others, he simply finds ways to exploit people in order to somehow get away clean. He does this when he robs a bank. He does this when he needs money to bail out his brother. He does this when the cops show up at Adventureland. The fast pace of the movie goes hand in hand with Connie’s quick thinking, although they usually lead him to more problems. The main point I’m trying to make is that capitalism is the same way. It’s all about exploitation. Connie is a product of capitalism and will trample on any opportunity he can get. Robert Pattinson is fantastic as Connie and truly makes this movie what it is. I love his facial expressions, I love his demeanor, I love his line deliveries, and I love how real he makes the character feel. Connie is far and away a terrible person, but Pattinson somehow makes the viewer want to see what he does next. Something that I always noticed but never really knew how to articulate until this viewing is this movie’s commentary on racism and white privilege. When Connie robs the bank with his brother they wear masks of a black man’s face, when the cops show up at Adventureland, Connie puts on the security guard uniform of the black man he beat up and his friend pours acid into the man’s mouth so that when the cops show up, they can take the man away and not even question Connie, and even the girl that Connie meets at the house where he uses the phone is used by him in many ways and then when it’s time for him to help her out, he turns a blind eye. Selfishness, manipulation, privilege, racism, it’s what defines Connie and more importantly, it’s what defines capitalism. Then you get insight into drug addiction, alcohol abuse, mental disabilities, etc. There are so many moving parts to this movie. So many intense moments. So many neon lights. So many cops. I love the cinematography. The aerial shots of the cars driving are fantastic. The scene of Pattinson getting chased by the police that is shot from the apartment overheard is great too. Also, I’m not entirely sure if Benny Safdie’s portrayal of a mentally challenged person is accurate or not, but that final scene is quite riveting in my opinion. All in all, I had a good time even if it I almost had a heart attack about fifty times. Also this poster fucking rocks. Footnote: thanks Safdies for reviving actors’ careers such as Pattinson in this and Sandler in Uncut Gems.