Now Is Good (2012)

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

I really can't even comprehend why you would have a story about a girl dying from cancer and then not only make her completely and utterly boring, but also dislikable. It's one thing to have a character who doesn't particularly do anything to make you like them, but at least is a decent person. But to create a character who frankly is kind of a f***ing b***h and then expect us to have any sort of sympathy for her, is absolutely baffling. For starters, there is nothing interesting about her whatsoever. I'm struggling to think of a character so underdeveloped in a film. Perhaps I missed something while screwing around on my phone during this snoozefest, but I can't recall us ever really learning anything about Tessa. She's kind of just there. And she has cancer. That's pretty much it. I could've forgiven her character for being flat and boring if she were at least a likable person. It would've made me feel sympathy for her, which I feel is kind of the point in a movie about a child dying of cancer. But instead we get a character who is extremely rude to her very caring father, and a character who would rather go shoplifting and steal a stranger's credit card than spend time with her family. Of all the things you could do with a bucket list type story, you have our dying teenager steal cosmetics and credit cards. Are you f***ing kidding me? What a waste of the precious time you have left and what an insult to the people who care about you. Now I don't exactly have any experience when it comes to teenagers dying of cancer, but it seems very unrealistic that they would behave this way. And if I'm wrong and it is in fact realistic, why would you, as the writer of this story, choose to have your character be like that? Why ruin the sympathy for the main character by making her out to be shallow and bratty? So we pretty much just put up with Tessa for an hour and a half and then she finally dies. We get a few brief shots of crying family members, but nothing that really leaves any sort of lasting impact. No aftermath or anything to give us the feeling of grief and mourning that her loved ones would be feeling, again lessening the emotional impact to near nonexistence. The romance aspect, like pretty much everything else in the film, was also very boring and underdeveloped. This was more of a minor issue I had with the story, but why did they decide to throw Teen Mom in there? It just felt so random and out of place and really contributed nothing of value to the plot. I've seen a handful of films like this and I quite liked a few of them, but this one is by far the worst I've seen. Even The Fault in Our Stars, with all of its absurd pretentiousness, had more redeeming qualities than this garbage.

There is no doubt she is one of our finest young actresses, but Dakota succeeds in a very important area of film acting.....the camera eats her up. Her haunting eyes draw you in, and her characters are the better for it. She has grown into a beauty, and one hopes the often fatal hubris of Hollywood will pass her by. The fact that she and her co-star were in Spielberg movies is testament to their talent and validity. I wish them both great fortune and longevity in that sorry business. Yes, this plot has been done to death, but there is a realism in the details of dying that make this a great film. My only critique is not really a critique, but the mother's character, as played by the fine Olivia Williams, is very disconcerting.....a disturbing portrait of a very flawed person. I may buy the DVD, nonetheless.....highly recommended.

Now is Good is just alright. There were definitely some very cheesy moments in the movie that made it worse at times.One of the first things I noticed was Dakota Fanning's fake British accent. It was hard to listen to and almost made her seem out of place with the British actors.Despite being a terminally ill cancer patient, I didn't find Dakota's character Tessa all that likable. She pretty much treated her father, the only one who truly cared about, her like crap most of the time. The way the family interacted in the movie almost made it seem like she was not going to die, which was sad. The little brother was not endearing at all and a bit creepy looking to be honest. Perhaps that's what they were going for?Tessa's romantic interest with Adam comes off as unnatural and forced. I felt no chemistry between Fanning and Irvine as I watched it. Irvine was almost too much of a pretty boy to play this part I believe. He reminds of a Ken doll. They needed a guy who was a little more rugged looking to make Fanning seem more feminine. The most believable scene by far was the scene when the father broke down in tears. Such a great performance in that scene. Considine was by far the best actor in that movie, followed closely by Williams and Scodelario who had less scenes.

I was skeptical at the first few minutes of the movie if I would like it but the movie blew me away. Very sad and beautiful movie that is acted very well. I wish all movies were this good. The movie really showed how much cancer really affects everyone. The main character in the movie takes it under her feet to just do what she wants and before the cancer beats her out. Along the way finding love and treating it as her cure. Her positive mind was truly inspirational where she didn't want to limit her life to days or weeks. If you're looking for a good movie to pass time or watch with family this is an excellent choice. I can guarantee this movie won't disappoint.