Good One (2024)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Psych Hike

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

A remarkably attentive exploration of characters and relationships, and an impressive feature writing and directing debut by India Donaldson, Good One avoids judging or accusing, but instead patiently explores and observes.

Seventeen-year-old Sam (Lily Collias) heads out for a three-day weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills with her dad, Chris (James Le Gros), and her dad's old pal Matt (Danny McCarthy). Things get off to a rocky start when Matt has an argument with his son Dylan, and Dylan stays behind. Chris is fixated on what to bring and how things are packed, and even dismantles Matt's pack and takes out anything unnecessary.

But the hike begins well. They spend a little time chatting with some other hikers, and Matt becomes emotional when they reach a beautiful lake. The conversation moves from simply passing the time ("What's your favorite color? What's your favorite meal?") to more personal, self-reflective, and existential. Matt has many regrets that he seems ready to face, while Chris seems more inflexible. When the dynamic suddenly changes one night, and Sam tries to confide in her father, their relationship faces a test.

As Good One begins, filmmaker India Donaldson barely even introduces the characters. Sam has a friend, Jessie (Sumaya Bouhbal), who may or may not be a girlfriend, but we never find out. We find out later that both Chris and Matt are divorced; Chris has re-married and has a new baby, but Matt is single and having trouble co-parenting his teen son.

At first Matt seems like a loudmouth and Chris seems responsible, but as the movie goes on, we see that Matt is more easily able to open up, while Chris is largely inflexible and incurious. At one point he asks Sam if she's excited for college, and she responds by telling him it's the first question he's asked her all weekend (which he denies).

For her part, Sam is — as Matt points out — quite wise. She's easily able to read the men who have spent more than twice as many years on Earth, but still has her own hidden sadnesses and secrets. (This character is more mysterious and less explored than the men, but Lily Collias's performance adds many layers.)

The movie's emotional turning point is a small moment, but potent… and crushing. Then, Donaldson conjures up a final, wordless image to sum up; it's small but weighty. At the end, Good One refuses to wrap everything up, leaving it messy and unsolved, which shows that it's less in tune with movie formulas and more in tune with life.