MOVIE:
Don't Make Me Go
WHERE TO WATCH:
Amazon Prime Video
OUR RATING:
3/5 Stars
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
A terminally ill man and his teenage daughter embark on a road trip from California to New Orleans for his 20th college reunion. While there, he secretly hopes she can reunite with the mother who left them long ago.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
"You're not gonna like the way this story ends," warns Wally (Mia Isaac) at the start of Don't Make Me Go. "But I think you're gonna like this story."
While this warning is warranted, I quite liked how the story ends. Not because I like the outcome, but because I like that the story, which, at first, presents itself as something we've all seen before, throws an unexpected twist into the mix. It made me gasp and feel a whirlwind of emotions, which is why I bumped my rating up from a 2 to a 3.
Okay, that is all I will say about this twist because I wouldn't want to spoil it.
Back to the rest of the story. Don't Make Me Go follows single father Max (John Cho) and his daughter Wally as they go on their first real road trip together. As it turns out, the trip means a lot more to Max as he has just learned that he has a fatal brain tumour. During their travels, he hopes to subtly teach Wally everything she might need over the rest of her life because, surprise, surprise, she doesn't know about the tumour.
I am a crier. I cry watching ads on TV and when a beautiful song comes on. I cry watching comedies, action movies and even when watching random people get married on Facebook. So, I knew something was off when I didn't shed so much as one tear watching Don't Make Me Go. However, after thinking it over, I've realised that I didn't not cry because the movie is bad or isn't emotional; I think I didn't cry because while this story is gut-wrenching, it is a very realistically told story. I enjoyed it for not being an over-the-top heart-breaking tale that made me blubber like say The Fault in Our Stars did.
I initially felt Cho and Isaac didn't have the chemistry to play the father-daughter duo. But as the movie progressed, I realised they were perfect for it. Max is just a single dad trying to be the best father and maintain a romantic life. Wally is literally every 16-year-old ever – she just wants to do her own thing, rebel a little, hook up with boys and not be seen in public with her 'embarrassing' dad, even though she totally loves him.
With these traits, Cho and Isaac do a decent job of fleshing out the relationship between their characters, and their energy together, in the end, is what actually makes the movie watchable. Well, that and Cho's singing karaoke. Having gone from comedies like Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle to serious dramatic roles like Searching in 2018, Don't Make Me Go is a suitable medium that beautifully shows his range. Isaac is a breakthrough in this role and is obviously capable of great things in her acting career. She sells the emotion of Wally's arc in a way that feels lived in instead of melodramatic. Perhaps because of her lack of experience, she managed to avoid over-acting the dramatic moments and instead played them out the way anyone her age in that situation would.
The supporting cast doesn't really have much of a presence in the film, they are there to emphasise the focus on Max and Wally, and that's totally fine, but I wouldn't invest in any of them.
Don't Make Me Go is everything you expect it to be until the ending comes out of nowhere, and honestly, it feels like it slaps you in the face. The performances were good, but the redeeming qualities of Cho's singing voice and the massive twist are what will keep you glued to your screen.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
Don't Make Me Go is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.