Synopsis:
A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner Todd, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.
Directed by: Ben Leonberg
Written by: Alex Cannon & Ben Leonberg
Starring: Indy, Shane Jensen, Larry Fessenden
My Edition:
Theater (Alamo Drafthouse, stick around to hear my gripes about them as well)
My Thoughts:
Good Boy opened just a few days before my birthday. Although there was not a huge marketing push, the movie managed to land itself as IFC’s third largest opening weekend to date – settling in just behind Clown in a Cornfield and Late Night with the Devil. And this movie deserves every accolade that can or will be heaped upon it. It was IFC’s third largest opening despite audiences’ clear reticence to see a dog-lead horror movie in case something happened to the dog. And for the record, I was VERY worried about the dog. I spent the first, like, 20 minutes of the movie on the literal edge of my seat. I once yelled a little at the dog not to go somewhere (don’t worry, I did it quietly on account of I wasn’t the only person in the theater and I don’t want to interrupt the experience other people paid for with my anxiety).
So, here’s the thing. We all saw the trailer by now (you watched it, right?), so we all know that Indy is basically the cutest dog you’re ever going to see in your entire life, and you’re rightly very concerned for his well being. Indy is an actor now. He’s fine. His character is fine, he’s fine, and based on the bit of special feature shown at the end of the movie, I’d wager he had a great time filming the movie, he was certainly never scared, and he probably got plenty of treats. See, Indy isn’t just any dog – he’s the director’s dog. They’re real-life friends. And none of the “emoting” your seeing from him is anything other than him making sweet faces that the audience is able to read their own emotions into based on what they’re shown. He is a Certified Sweet Face, but I don’t think he has any idea he is in a movie that is supposed to be scary. He seems to think his people are making weird noises and faces at him, and asking him to obey various commands while they point a camera at him. And that little baby is camera ready. He is seriously so cute it hurts.
I don’t really want to get too far into the plot, because Good Boy is so good that I think it deserves to be seen as bling as possible – but I will say don’t go into this movie expecting fast-paced, dialogue-heavy, emotionless violence. You will be very, very disappointed. There is very little dialogue, and the movie is shown primarily through Indy’s POV (and in third person otherwise). That means, if the dog doesn’t see it, you might not either. But if it helps, Indy is a very astute dog. He sees a lot, and he feels a great deal, it seems. I think Good Boy does a tremendous job of highlighting the beauty of the relationship between a human and their dog. The sense of love, loyalty, and family is palpable. You’re probably going to cry at some point (or maybe several; I won’t judge).
Good Boy was completed on a production budget of under $1m ($750k, allegedly). But it doesn’t show. Although there are very limited amounts of cgi in the movie, none of them are used to enhance or alter Indy’s performance. That’s all the Good Boy being a good boy. The movie is almost entirely practical, and it shows. Good Boy is so drenched in reality that it makes the more fantastical elements of the story seem much more believable. I honestly just think everything about Good Boy is wildly creative, highly inventive, and incredibly well done.
Feel free to dip out now if you don’t want to read my bitching about the ridiculousness of my local Drafthouse.
I love this movie. And I love Indy. He did a phenomenal job as a vector for my dumb human feelings. But Alamo Drafthouse – whyyyyy. I have had issues with our local AD for a while, and they just continue to pile disappointment on disappointment. First off, there is a seat in one of the theaters that has been broken for YEARS. Like, before they got bought out it was broken, and somehow it remains broken TO THIS DAY. YOU ARE OWNED BY A BAJILLIOIN DOLLAR COMPANY NOW THEY CAN AFFORD TO FIX ONE BROKEN SEAT. But also, how did the food actually get worse since the buyout? Like, I appreciate that they (slightly) boosted the vegan-friendly fare, but GODS the quality of everything has suffered. I had a mushroom-topped Impossible burger during Good Boy and I think I got through 3 bites of it. It was wretched. It tasted less like mushroom or Impossible burger than what I imagine gym-feet would taste like. And we also had an appetizer of fried pickles which were rubbery, room temperature, and at least one had a big ass sprig of dill or something under the coating. Between the food being less good nearly every time I try it and the beers regularly being flat, I am basically at the point where I don’t want anything from there other than a soda and occasional popcorn. But I do like the no talking/texting policy. I really wish more theaters would actually enforce that.
Good Boy
Directed by: Ben Leonberg
US Release Date: October 3, 2025
IFC/Shudder
PG-13
73 Minutes
Official Website
