Good Neighbors (2010)

"A woman your age should always be concerned for her safety, it's a nasty world." Victor (Baruchel) has just moved to Montreal in the middle of a killing spree by a serial killer. He meets his new neighbors Louise and Spencer (Speedman) and does his best to become friends with them. Soon secrets are revealed. I will start by saying that I did enjoy this movie. The big problem with it is that it was very flat all the way through. Never got bad enough to stop watching and trying to figure out the killer made you want to keep watching till the end. The movie never really got to an exciting point where you are totally engrossed in it. I can't really say anything bad about this because I did like it, but I can't say anything good about it because it was slow and drawn out with very little action. Overall, not a bad movie so worth a watch. Not a good movie so don't rush to watch it though. I give it a B-.

Would I watch again? - I don't think so.

*Also try - Perfect Host

Fmovies: Although the film is not perfect by any means, and does contain so holes here that will have most scratching their heads, this is a brilliant piece of Canadian cinema considering it's track record with few to more hits recently. Parts of this film felt somewhat inspired by Kubrick's The Shining minus the hallucinatory elements as well as a Hitchockian noir element in the mix. This is a character piece that really gets into your head and keeps you guessing all the way through with the who-done-it element quite alive here. It is a bit slow paced, but that pacing works very well here, although, it may be the factor that loses most of it's audiences that happen to stumble upon it. The cast here is nearly flawless as well, and Canadian actor Jay Baruchel is great as always, but doesn't drown the rest of the cast. This makes for a nearly perfect drama thriller noir with some darkly comedic elements within.

I saw The Good Neighbors in Toronto. I uttered Oh My God, and Eeewww several times, covered my eyes and laughed so hard my row of seats was shaking. It's totally unexpected. Sex, Violence, Comedy,Murder- all rolled into one. Don't take your mother or your kids, but round up all of your friends and make sure you see this. It is a pisser. I was ashamed of myself for laughing but I couldn't help it. Everyone will be talking about this movie. It is funny and shocking. The audience gave it a standing ovation. It will make you re-think socializing with your neighbors. Is one of them a killer? There is an awful lot of blood. And yet, I laughed. Is something wrong with me? If so, I wasn't the only one laughing.

Good Neighbors fmovies. It's the story of three strange friendships, with a serial killer lurking in the background. Lives of the three single people, two guys and a gal, all under age 30, become intertwined over a five-month period as a result of living in close proximity in a Montreal apartment building. The film is less a whodunit than a play of mind games, as unlikely events collide, to force the three to question each others motives, then plot ways to a self-interested outcome.

The three characters are mildly interesting, though the Victor character is so neurotic, and dense to others' cues, he quickly becomes grating. I see that as a script problem. There are also a couple of significant plot holes. And the ending I find less than satisfying, as it leaves viewers wondering, and questions unanswered.

Casting is acceptable. Acting is fine given the subdued story line. Visuals trend a bit dark. Most of the plot is set indoors. "Good Neighbors" is a low-budget film, and uses a minimal cast and minimal sets. Overall, the film has a pleasantly European look and feel, with interspersed French dialogue, Canadian accents, musty interiors, and cold climate exteriors.

If you're looking for a whodunit, or an extravagant production, or a film of great thematic depth, look elsewhere. Notwithstanding weakness previously described, "Good Neighbors" excels at character drama, with a touch of low-key quirkiness; a cozy, intimate little film worth a one-time watch on a cold winter night.

It's October 1995 Montreal. There is a serial killer out on the loose. Victor (Jay Baruchel) is moving into a 4th floor walkup. His neighbours are cat lady Louise (Emily Hampshire) and wheelchair bound Spencer (Scott Speedman). Louise is working at a local Chinese restaurant where waitress Johanne (Kaniehtiio Horn) is killed one night in the streets. Victor walks Louise home from the restaurant every night. Spencer turns out to be able to walk and somebody poisons Louise's cat.

Director Jacob Tierney is able to get an offbeat eerie vibe sort of like 'Shallow Grave' except nothing so cool and thrilling. It's a serial killer thriller that lives on its atmosphere for the most part. Baruchel is quirky cute. Hampshire is a quirky adoring cat lady. Speedman is good as Spencer hiding a secret. The three of them form a very compelling trio. The movie does need more tension. It would probably help to condense the timeline. It's good creepy throughout with an underlining low key dark humor.

I very rarely post reviews of even the most outstanding (or, say, outrageously bad) films on IMDb, and one major reason is that (in general, i.e. usually) the films I see have either been reviewed hundreds of times or seem to have been fairly reviewed by the relatively few who've contributed their thoughts. This, however, is an exceptional case! The majority of this film's other reviews so far posted here are either negative or lukewarm, which is a tragedy for the prospective viewer, at least if she takes that to be a reason for passing this clever, immensely enjoyable gem over! I find it kind of shocking that there aren't more (at this time, there is only one other) extremely positive reviews of this film here. The only thing I can come up with to explain that fact is this: Good Neighbors is pitched at a fairly high level; the humor is subtle and often perverse, depending upon multiple layers of irony and extensive character development; the drama/suspense does NOT depend upon much mystery qua whodunit (although the movie "plays by the rules" in that it gamely keeps the viewer open-minded about the killer's identity, to this viewer the killer's identity was rather overtly apparent from the opening scenes...I second guessed myself at times, but...) but rather on the tension between what the viewer knows and what the characters don't, all of which means that less astute viewers might not notice most of what's going on in this film (several people here have called the movie 'flat', which honestly makes me inclined to call them 'dull'). I don't want to say anything about the actual plot here, but for those of you who enjoy intelligent films (e.g. Coen Brothers films, as another reviewer aptly noted) even though the proper appreciation thereof will engage more of one's mind than more escapist fare, this is pure indie treasure. For a third world country, Canada sure produces more than her share of cultural jewels...(jokes)!