I was lucky enough to see "Now is Good" followed by a Q & A session with one of its producers, Peter Czernin, and one of the actors, Jeremy Irvine. I must say that I found the Q & A session much more interesting than the movie.
If I were to summarise this film in one word, it would be "unconvincing". I didn't believe that the main character was dying, and I didn't believe in the suffering of her family and friends. We are forced to believe that Tessa is about to die, because we are told so, almost from the very first minute of the film. It is repeated and reminded over and over throughout the whole movie. For some reason, the more I was told to believe it, the less I did.
Apart from that there is a very cliché love story weaved into the film, and some postcard-like shots of sunrises at the seaside. The dialogues, which are meant to be witty in order to ease the reception of the film, are mediocre. I didn't even smile once. The main character, who apparently is meant to be portrayed as someone who doesn't want any pity, comes across as a spoiled brat – not endearing at all.
One of the scenes that is supposed to convince us that Tessa is ill is when the doctor removes a cord from her arm. The scene looks like a clumsy performance of an amateur magician.
Towards the end of the film I could hear several people weeping, which means that not everyone would agree with my opinion. The sobbing in the audience only made me feel embarrassed. It's not that I don't cry on movies – I (almost) cried on Titanic when I first saw it.
Overall, the film is rather far-fetched, though potentially it could have been really moving. I wouldn't even blame it on the acting. My impression is that whatever vision the producers had in mind, it somehow did not come alive on the screen.
If I were to summarise this film in one word, it would be "unconvincing". I didn't believe that the main character was dying, and I didn't believe in the suffering of her family and friends. We are forced to believe that Tessa is about to die, because we are told so, almost from the very first minute of the film. It is repeated and reminded over and over throughout the whole movie. For some reason, the more I was told to believe it, the less I did.
Apart from that there is a very cliché love story weaved into the film, and some postcard-like shots of sunrises at the seaside. The dialogues, which are meant to be witty in order to ease the reception of the film, are mediocre. I didn't even smile once. The main character, who apparently is meant to be portrayed as someone who doesn't want any pity, comes across as a spoiled brat – not endearing at all.
One of the scenes that is supposed to convince us that Tessa is ill is when the doctor removes a cord from her arm. The scene looks like a clumsy performance of an amateur magician.
Towards the end of the film I could hear several people weeping, which means that not everyone would agree with my opinion. The sobbing in the audience only made me feel embarrassed. It's not that I don't cry on movies – I (almost) cried on Titanic when I first saw it.
Overall, the film is rather far-fetched, though potentially it could have been really moving. I wouldn't even blame it on the acting. My impression is that whatever vision the producers had in mind, it somehow did not come alive on the screen.