GOOD BOY Entertains With Bizarre And Flashes Of Brilliance

SABAN FILM Presents GOOD BOY

By Chris Hammond

Written and Directed: by Viljar Bøe (Til Freddy)
Starring: Gard Løkke (Troll), Katrine Lovise Øpstad Fredriksen (Camping with Ada), Amalie Willoch Njaastad (Two Faced), and Nicolai Narvesen Lied (Til Freddy). 
79 Minutes Rated R
Subtitled film (no English Audio)

In the day and age of online dating, it is difficult to find a perfect match. Sigrid (Katrine Lovise Øpstad Fredriksen) believes she has found the perfect man in the charming, handsome, wealthy Christian (Gard Løkke). Things go great until she realizes he lives with a man who wears a dog suit and acts like his pet dog. Staying open-minded Sigrid continues to see Christian but notices a sinister side to her perfect man. Is it just playing around or is there something else going on?

GOOD BOY is one of those films that on paper shouldn’t work because of its bizarre plot. Director/Writer Viljar Bøe creates a film where the characters are endearing and not stereotypical. Both Sigrid and Christian are looking for companionship, which as the story plays out shows that that is something different for each character.

The film doesn’t hold back the secret in fact we are introduced to Frank (the man in the dog suit) and Christian right away. Their relationship (as odd as it is) seems to work and no one is getting hurt. Queue Sigrid who meets up with Christian for a date (after meeting him on a dating app). Everything is swell and they go back to his place. Christian informs Sigrid that he has a dog, she replies I love dogs, What type is it?. Christian replies that it’s difficult to explain. When the introduction to Frank is made, of course, Sigrid is taken aback.

There’s an element of disbelief that needs to be incorporated when watching GOOD BOY. This isn’t really a difficulty as we live in the age of superhero films. This movie really draws its audience in and gets them vested in this bizarre love story.

The score/soundtrack is handled beautifully by Martin Smoge and Isak Wingsternes. It not only adds another layer of intense emotion but also fills the rooms with wonderful synth stylings.

Things start to unravel and become a little predictable in the finale, but I’ll forgive the film for that tiny misstep. The third act almost feels as though it was a rewrite because of its unoriginality.

GOOD BOY is entertaining and offers the audience something different than the norm. The ending although uninspired really wraps the film up and maybe that’s what audiences want. I for one would love to see another filing this man in a dog-suit universe, or anything from Viljar Bøe.

Get your tails wagging with GOOD BOY in Theaters, On Digital and On Demand: September 8, 2023