Good Time (2017) ***1/2

I'm glad that I saw Uncut Gems (2019) (my review here) before I saw Good Time (2017). Reason being that in a lot of ways Good Time feels like the test run for Uncut Gems, a far superior film.

Both films are crime stories that invoke a very similar kind of anxiety, feature a frenetic score by Daniel Lopatin, dizzying cinematography, and have a central character that makes one asinine decision after another. But while Robert Pattinson does give a very good performance in this film, Connie has none of the charisma that Adam Sandler's Howard does in Gems. I know it's not necessarily fair to compare the two films or actors when they are not the same beast—I just got a lot of the same vibe in Good Time but didn't connect with the characters. Jennifer Jason Leigh's screen time in particular felt wasted.

In short, this film is indeed a good time but not quite a gem.

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