Review of The Good Neighbor (2016) by Tss5078 — 06 Jun 2019

Ethan (Logan Miller) and Sean (Keir Gilchrist) are best friends, friends who know that Ethan's neighbor, Harold Grainey (James Caan) is not a very nice person. One night the boys are up late playing video games, when they come up with the idea to screw with the evil old man across the street.

They decide to trick the old man into believing that his house is haunted, but they have no idea the kind of person they are messing with. The Good Neighbor has so much going for it, especially when it comes to suspense.

A lot of films claim that they will keep you on the edge of your seat, but this one really will. I'm not a jumpy, edge of your seat type person, but this film got me. Another thing I really enjoyed was not only the dynamic between the veteran actor and the two newcomers, but how different their characters were.

First, we're following this miserable angry old man, then we're seeing kids in the prime of their life, screwing around, and having fun. It's the kind of thing a lot of people don't recognize, but it is extremely hard to pull off a two parted story, when the sides are so drastically different.

James Caan was of course terrific as he is always is, but so was Keir Gilchrist. This kid continues to give these tremendous performances in these little known independent films. I think he is going to be a huge star at some point, but at the age of 27, he's really beyond films like this.

The Good Neighbor is a rare treat, because it has two stars that are arguably too good to be in such a small independent movie. Paired with a terrific story, thrilling action, and a unique dynamic.