Good Neighbours

A spoiler light review of Good Neighbours should begin with tone, because Jacob Tierney understands exactly how this comedy ought to feel. Good Neighbours gains early credibility from Jay Baruchel, whose presence is balanced by the different rhythm of Anne Marie Cadieux. The foundation of Good Neighbours can be stated simply: Victor is new to Montreal and attempts to make friends with the wheelchair bound Spencer and the cat loving Louise, but everybody is on edge with a serial killer terrorizing the neighborhood. Within its 1h 39m running time, Good Neighbours reveals both the benefits and the limits of that disciplined approach.

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Good Neighbours benefits from Jacob Tierney being engaging in bursts but unable to maintain the same control about what each sequence needs to accomplish. Instead of making every beat equally loud, Jacob Tierney lets Good Neighbours create contrast between pressure and release. Worthwhile ideas compete with an uneven structure throughout Good Neighbours, with the strongest decisions feeling connected to character rather than display. It is still fair to say that Good Neighbours suffers because the pace alternates between hurry and drift, but the problem remains contained.

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Good Neighbours relies heavily on Jay Baruchel, and the performance responds with enough specificity to carry changes in mood. The contribution of Anne Marie Cadieux gives Good Neighbours a useful counterweight instead of merely echoing the lead. Diane D'Aquila makes the smaller exchanges in Good Neighbours count, often through timing rather than emphatic dialogue. Jacob Tierney understands that Good Neighbours becomes more persuasive when the cast can imply feelings before the script names them.

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The plot of Good Neighbours is built around the uneasy relationship between Victor and Montreal. For Jay Baruchel, that relationship gives Good Neighbours an emotional objective stronger than simple forward motion. The screenplay associated with Jacob Tierney lets Spencer reshape the direction of Good Neighbours in stages. Although the treatment of Louise could be sharper, Good Neighbours never entirely loses the thread established at the beginning.

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Visually, Good Neighbours is most persuasive when well judged reactions guides attention without becoming an attraction separate from the drama. Park Ex Pictures supports Good Neighbours with well judged reactions, giving individual scenes a shared design logic. The Canada production character of Good Neighbours is clearest in its use of performer rhythm to make place feel consequential. Even during its busiest moments, Good Neighbours benefits from an edit and sound mix that protect the immediate emotional line.

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The central idea running through Good Neighbours concerns embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. Jay Baruchel gives that idea a human scale, allowing Good Neighbours to remain accessible even when its world becomes larger. By returning to Spencer, Good Neighbours turns theme into a source of pressure rather than a message waiting to be delivered. The handling by Jacob Tierney lets Good Neighbours leave a little interpretive room, which gives its better scenes an afterlife.

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Taken as a whole, Good Neighbours is a qualified recommendation for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. Good Neighbours leaves its strongest impression through well judged reactions, the work of Jay Baruchel and a clear understanding of tone. The limitations around how the pace alternates between hurry and drift should be acknowledged, but they do not erase what Good Neighbours does well. I would return to Good Neighbours for its personality and its willingness to connect genre pleasure with recognisable feeling.