After finishing a complicated movie, it is easy to feel a little lost and kind of unintelligent, but after a few hours or even days, it usually hits you. A eureka moment that makes your brain go “it all makes sense now.” Unfortunately, that never happened after I watched this movie. Bill Condon’s The Good Liar falls short of a notable film with its pointless distractions and shallow ending.
The Good Liar relies heavily on twists within its plot, so trying to summarize it without giving away any major plot points is like tip toeing around a minefield. Essentially, it features a widow named Roy Courtnay (Ian Mckellan) and a widower named Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren) who meet on an online dating site. Upon their first date, they hit it off and gradually grow closer until Betty invites Roy to stay with her and her grandson, Steven (Russell Tovey), due to his injured knee. From the first time they meet, Steven is suspicious of Roy and tries his best to expose him for being a fraud, but Roy denies any sort of interrogation, creating a tension throughout this film.
From the start, this movie is a bit of a slow burner, but Condon does try to spice things up from time to time with some juxtaposed transition. For example, Roy’s transition from his bland lunch date with his future romantic interest, Betty McLeish, goes to a loud, colorful strip club for one of his business meetings. Ultimately, these smaller twists help make the first act a bit more bearable, but by no means are you on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next.
This final act of the film felt very undeserving. Throughout it all, Condon throws in twists and turns to throw off the audience, but in the end, there is no way to follow what is going to happen. One of the most satisfying parts of watching this kind of movie is dissecting the clues given and coming to a conclusion of your own. Thus, when this film’s final twist comes without any connection to the previously presented information, you can’t help but feel a little cheated. In order for this film to work, the plot must be airtight and everything needs to be connected for the audience to feel they have solved the mystery in the end. Relying on shock value for the same effect just cheapens the whole experience. Also, it’s not like you don’t see it coming either. From the beginning, you know something is fishy, which builds the tension, but the reveal just doesn’t add up. Movies like Fight Club or Memento allow for a better understanding on what is going on during a second viewing, but The Good Liar fails to even reward the viewer for paying attention.
I came into this movie with low expectations, and those expectations were met. By all means this is a watchable movie, but it fails to leave you in shock when walking out, instead only leaving confusion. What could have been a great film fell short in the last half, sealing the fate of this sloppy thriller.
2.5/5 STARS