Maggie
is rather mousy and under-assertive, but she is still probably pushing credulity
claiming her newly adopted dog is a legit “emotional support animal.” Reuben
looks like a cute little guy, but there is an awful lot of fight in this dog—too
much. Ally Sheedy’s character in Man’s Best Friend could definitely
relate to what Maggie will go through, but the characterization and dialogue is
much sharper in Tyler MacIntyre’s Good Boy, which premieres today, to commemorate
National Dog Day or Pet Appreciation Week or whatever, as part of the current season
of Hulu’s Blumhouse-produced Into the Dark.
Maggie’s
neighborhood newspaper employer just switched over to an online-freelance model
and her landlord effectively raised the rent with new fees. These developments
come at an especially bad time, since she is just started preparing for an egg
harvesting procedure. She adopted Reuben hoping he would alleviate her stress.
It is a responsibility he takes deadly seriously.
Although
we never see the entire transformation, it seems furry Reuben is a bit like the
Incredible Hulk. You do not want to make him angry. Several people who have
been bugging Maggie will lean that the hard way—permanently. Unfortunately,
Reuben might also be getting a little jealous of her new boyfriend Nate, who
also happens to be a cop.
Surprisingly
for a Blumhouse joint, MacIntye keeps most of the gore off-screen. Instead, he
keeps us focused on the characters and the sly humor. The Into the Dark franchise
is definitely better when it does not take itself too seriously, as was the
case with Pooka Lives, Crawlers, and School Spirit. Good Boy is
another fine example, especially since it proves Steve “Mahoney” Guttenberg can
still be funny, garnering big laughs as Maggie’s aging pot-head editor.
Judy
Greer and McKinley Freeman are both terrific complimenting and contrasting with
each other as high-strung Maggie and laidback Nate. Together they make an appealing
couple until suddenly they don’t anymore. Of course, Chico constantly upstages
everyone as the deceptively sweet-looking Reuben.
It
would be sadistically entertaining to watch Good Boy with a Dog Fancy-subscribing
cynophilist, because this film will seriously disturb them. It is also rather
amusing on its own terms. Enthusiastically recommended, Good Boy starts
streaming today (6/12) on Hulu.
