Good Sam is the best movie on Netflix you haven’t seen yet

The next time you run across Good Sam as you’re browsing Netflix, add it to your list. It’s the best movie on Netflix that you haven’t seen yet.

When I sat down to watch Good Sam on Netflix, I expected a goofy, over-the-top, feel-good story filled with eye roll moments. I expected the romantic aspect to be unrealistic and annoying. I thought that I was going to be sitting down to write a review about how this movie would be good for people who are into feel-good movies but that anyone else should leave it alone.

That was not the experience I had, though. Good Sam has elements of a feel-good story, but that isn’t the whole movie. It’s well cast, well written, funny, and will definitely hit you in your feelings a few times.

The trailer focuses on the news aspect which is the part that was supposed to have that sappy feel-good vibe because that’s what it was. I will include the trailer but keep that in mind.

The movie is led by Tiya Sircar (The Good Place) who plays a risk taking news reporter named Kate Bradley. Her stunts at work get her in trouble with the heads at the station so they assign her to a fluff piece as punishment. An older lady says she found $100,000 on her doorstep, and she believes it was given to her by a good Samaritan, hence the name of the movie. Good Sam becomes the talk of the city when more bags appear on doorsteps and now the hunt is on to find out who Good Sam is.

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Meanwhile, Kate is caught in a bit of a love interest triangle between one of her father’s (her father is a Senator) young donors and a firefighter she ran into at the scene of one of her stories.

The Cast and Characters

As I mentioned the film is led by Sircar and I have to talk about her performance. She carried this film well as the lead, and I hope it leads to more roles for her in the future.

As the daughter of a powerful man, it’s clear Kate wants to make her own name. When she’s introduced to Jack Hansen (Marco Grazzini) by her father she’s very clear about who she is. She lets him know about her boundaries in a way that doesn’t make her come off as some cold closed off woman, which movies tend to do with ambitious women.

As the movie goes along and more and more details come out, she remains herself throughout, even when she starts to question if people are being honest with her about who they are.

Our two love interests are played by the aforementioned Marco Grazzini (Anon) and Chad Connell (Shadowhunters). Marco plays the wealthy donor, Jack, and his approach with Kate is to do the opposite of what she expects and take an honest interest in her career.

With Chad’s character, firefighter Eric Hayes, the idea of dating comes more naturally after multiple run-ins. Both played their roles to a T and at different points, you’ll be rooting for each of them. I’m doing my best to stay away from saying anything to spoil the movie.

Pace

The movie does not have a wasted second of time. We start right out of the gate with Kate arriving at the scene of a fire and we barely stop to catch our breath from there. We transition between days quickly and something new is always happening to add to the story. The only reprieve is when we transition from Kate chasing down Good Sam to Kate on a date or with her father. Those scenes almost always ended with Kate chasing down a lead and the pace is part of what sucks you in.

There is a large development within the first 35 minutes of the movie, and at that point, it was clear I was in for some twists and turns before it was over.

Why did I like it?

Aside from the great performances and the great pacing, I really liked the story. There isn’t really some deep message that you’re supposed to walk away with but the idea presented is a powerful one. Besides that, Good Sam plays out as a mystery. You’ll start to catch clues along the way about Good Sam’s identity but you won’t be sure about certain things until it’s clear. The film does a good job of giving you part of an answer, giving you a theory and debunking it, or making you question if your instincts are correct. The results were very satisfying.

It has been too long since I’ve watched a movie that was meant for adults, with a PG rating, that didn’t feel sappy or forced.

You should head to Netflix and add Good Sam to your list as it is currently streaming.