A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The characters are superbly believable, which is why it's all the more frustrating that I really didn't like this film, and I'm not sure where the script writer was trying to take it. Disturbingly, the LA Times bills it as "Joyful, romantic and genuinely sexy!". If you find this film romantic and sexy, much less joyful, I suggest you lay off the dating scene for a while.Here are some assumptions the film's script writer seems to make: 1) Normal women don't watch porn, much less rough porn. If she rents pornographic DVDs, she's up for it, or perhaps messed up, or both. We're really not sure.2) Single women are lonely. They don't want to be spending so much time on their own. They're waiting on you to bust into their apartments under false pretenses and have you force yourself on them. They may say no, get lost or shut up, but they want you, really.3) Any single woman who doesn't throw herself at the first enterprising jock who comes her way must have a history of abuse. She's messed up. After all, what's not to love about your lies, your stalking, your arrogance and refusal to take no for an answer, your poor conversational skills and your 8ish inch schlong? The supporting cast provided some comic relief to the uncomfortable plot. I can't think of one performance that was off or didn't ring true. The situation itself is entirely believable - an abuse victim may well be a fan of porn, and have rape fantasies in which she's a victim no more. She may find it hard to cut ties to her abuser and stand on her own feet. She's very likely to find it hard to form close and intimate relationships with others. She may also unconsciously seek out similarly abusive relationships and use them as a crutch - it's what she knows. That's fine - what I found uncomfortable about this film is the way it is packaged up and sold to us as viewers. This is NOT a love story. We could do without the happy music at the end - the aggressive male protagonist shows no character growth throughout this film whatsoever.I'm intrigued enough that I'd love to hear what Palka was thinking. Perhaps it was intended as cautionary rather than as a happy romantic tale, and some subtle nuances were lost. Reading some of the comments on IMDb though, I'm not surprised that it's apparently missed its mark. "Where do you find a man like that, one so patient and loving and willing to take her with all her flaws?". Puhleeze. This guy is so wrapped up in himself, he doesn't care a whit for who she is, as long as he can get his leg over, one way or another. Where can you find such a man, indeed? Having spent several years on the internet dating scene prior to meeting my husband, I can tell you that such dubious characters are not in short supply.

Lately, I've seen a lot of articles about the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" phenomenon, as portrayed in many movies/TV shows, and anything Zooey Deschanel has ever starred in. The whole concept boils down to "she's crazy/selfish/addicted/broke/a cheater/etc etc etc", but SO DAMN CUTE (or HOT) that the main male character in said movie ignores all the obvious warning signs that she's not relationship material, and often turns their life upside down for her. Or, at the very least, ignores the normal, stable girl who is in love with him, in favor of the "rush" of being with the crazy girl. This movie seems to be telling the opposite story. The male protagonist is portrayed as being sympathetic, and a suitable partner for the female lead, despite the fact that he puts out all kinds of shady vibes almost immediately. He lies. He follows her, and peeps in her window. He repeatedly shows up uninvited, guilts her into letting him sleep on her couch, and brings her porn (Yes, she likes porn, but still...not really the first move of a Prince Charming). However, I've seen a lot of reviews suggesting that the relationship in this movie is "good for her" or "healthy" and I have to say, I disagree. I didn't like this movie, I'll just put it out there. It was slow-paced, and honestly after the initial peeping I thought it was going to go in a much different direction. As much as I've enjoyed the lead actor in other roles, his character here creeped me out intensely. I think this movie puts out the Manic Pixie Dream Girl vibe for women. I think if she had found out the way the relationship actually started, the average woman would be incredibly freaked out. I kept waiting for things to catch up with them, for her to find out, and she never did. Because of that, I just couldn't feel any support for their relationship. In truth, it gave me a nasty, almost rapey vibe. However, it seems to foster that "the creepy guy who followed you home and peeped in your window MIGHT BE MR. RIGHT" stereotype, the male equivalent of the MPDD vibe, and I just couldn't get past that. Knowing what we know as the viewer, and knowing she doesn't know, and he won't tell her, almost made me feel like an accomplice in his misleading of his potential girlfriend, and it just left me with a sad, shady feeling. The movie presents an unnaturally positive attitude towards overtly creepy, and socially unacceptable behavior, and I just can't co-sign that. I don't think anyone would want their best friend/sister/etc getting involved with a former addict, who has followed them, peeped in their window, and lied about it multiple times to continue to see her. In fact, if you remove the fact that she stupidly let him in, you have classic stalking behavior. Beyond this, I found this movie depressing, bleak, and long (even though it wasn't necessarily). It was one of those movies where I just kept checking the time, because it felt like it would never end. I'm no activist, but I wish writers would stop enforcing these silly stereotypes in "romantic" movies. No wonder boys and girls alike have a twisted idea of what love should be. This is why we can't have nice things, people. 1 out of 10 stars AKA that's another hour and half I'm never getting back. A disappointment. In fact, Mark Webber is the only thing that made this flick bearable.

Young people in America today are bombarded by sexual imagery, peer pressure, raging hormones, and too early sexual experiences to the point most have had their psyches damaged by the time they reach adulthood. As a result we have a nation of aggressive women who hate, use and abuse men and dopey weak men addicted to porn and afraid of women. Women are angry and men are ashamed.Misuse of sexuality has turned the nation into something unrecognizable forty years ago. Women have become pushy, bossy and encouraged to get what they want while men have been been demoralized, degraded, and diminished by culture. We are so confused now we elect a cunning, manipulative ah**e who promises us what we want while lying to us about what we really need and what he is really doing to us. That's why movies today are mostly c**p - messed up people only enjoy messed up movies. It's all about good witch vs bad witch - they are all witches! If you put morality in a movie in any form today people flame out because decent people embarrass most of us.This movie in an imperfect way is about right and wrong. The Jason Ritter character tries to crack the woman's shell by not using her and being strong with her irrational behavior (re My fair Lady). It does the trick since this is something no man has ever done for her before. Her resulting catharsis leads to her turning against her father for independence. Whether the ending of the film could happen in real life is doubtful since couples are more likely to end up beating on each other and taking drugs then breaking up completely. Still the movie is important and should be seen by more people. Movies used to be about right winning over wrong which made them ring true. That is what makes this one so enjoyable.

From reading other reviews, I can see that this movie seems to be kind of polarizing. Some think it's mediocre and clichéd while others really like it. I have to say I feel the latter. This sort of reminded me of Garden State in a way, but to be honest I think I enjoyed this more, maybe because it seemed honest yet effortlessly so. I enjoyed Garden State, but after watching Good Dick it just seems a bit self-conscious and contrived in comparison. Both movies deal with characters who are emotionally cut-off or numb in some way, but this movie deals more with intimacy, I think, while (Zach Braff's character) Andrew Largeman's redemption stems from coming to terms with his guilt surrounding his mother. The title is deceptive, as neither of the main characters equates sex with intimacy. We don't even find out the names of the main characters, nor do we find out why the Woman has built up an emotional wall to keep others out. So how do these two strangers come together? The Man gradually pushes his way into the Woman's life, sleeping on her couch, then in her bed, washing her hair, cooking her dinner, and yes, putting up with her coldness and meanness. Is this intimacy? Watch it and decide for yourself. I personally found this film engaging, painfully and awkwardly funny, yet emotionally honest at the same time.