PLOT: A woman's emotional support dog kills everyone who raises her anxiety level.
REVIEW: The Hulu / Blumhouse anthology series Into the Dark has had its ups and downs over the course of its two seasons, but that is to be expected with any anthology, and I have enjoyed the majority of the feature films that make up this holiday-or-notable-date themed show. With the June entry GOOD BOY, director Tyler MacIntyre may have delivered my new favorite Into the Dark movie. Watching this with a beloved animal by your side would be a great way to celebrate Pet Appreciation Week.
GOOD BOY stars Judy Greer, who too often in her career has been relegated to playing the side character who is just there to provide support while others get all the good moments. Here she's at the center of nearly every scene, playing a character that writers Aaron and Will Eisenberg crafted specifically for her. That character is Maggie, a 39-year-old woman whose biological clock is ticking very loudly, and she's considering getting some of her eggs frozen because it doesn't look like she's going to be able to have children any time soon. She's not having any luck in the dating world, her job is in danger because the newspaper she writes for is going digital, and her nagging landlord (Maria Conchita Alonso) keeps finding ways to get more money out of her. Lonely and stressed, Maggie decides to get an emotional support animal and rescues an adorable little dog from a shelter.
Maggie names the dog Reuben after he snatches her Reuben sandwich off a countertop that should have been too high for him to reach. Reuben is played by Chico, and I believe this dog deserves to be a new canine superstar, because I was delighted every moment he was on the screen.
Maggie and Reuben quickly develop a bond, and she soon realizes that dogs truly can sense a person's anxiety. Reuben is so sensitive to her anxiety that he starts killing everyone in her life who causes her stress, mauling them to death (off screen) with displays of strength that this little dog shouldn't be capable of, just like he shouldn't have been able to get onto that countertop. Reuben is clearly not your average dog, and Maggie is forced to clear up his bloody messes every time he knocks off another person who gave her grief. She really cleans up the crime scenes more than is necessary, because Reuben's victims are usually so chewed up that there's no way such a little dog would be suspected of being the killer.
Although this is a killer dog movie, viewers shouldn't go into it expecting something as intense as CUJO. GOOD BOY mixes the thrills with a heavy dose of humor; this is primarily a comedy, as evident from the casting of Steve Guttenberg as Maggie's drunk, marijuana mint popping, empathy feigning boss. Guttenberg is great in that role, though, and I found GOOD BOY to be legitimately amusing throughout.
Greer and Chico own the show, but MacIntyre and the Eisenbergs also gave them a solid supporting cast to work with. In addition to the actors mentioned above, there's Ellen Wong as a social media influencer Maggie used to babysit; McKinley Freeman as someone who could either be a serious love interest for Maggie or a serious problem for her, since he's a cop; and Elise Neal as Maggie's fertility doctor.
GOOD BOY is a fun and cute movie that also happens to have blood and guts splashing across the screen. Greer fans will find it refreshing that she was given so much to do for a change, and dog lovers will find Reuben adorable – even when he's scampering off to kill people. If you've been keeping up with the Into the Dark movies, you'll find this one stands out from the pack in terms of scope. Most of the entries in this series are set in confined locations, but GOOD BOY has scenes that take place in various locations around Los Angeles. It also features some really cool nods to previous entries, so watch out for those!
INTO THE DARK: GOOD BOY is available to watch on the Hulu streaming service.