Miss Flicks

Don’t Make Me Go: Film Review

I’m a huge fan of John Cho and I’m so glad he’s been getting roles which show off his range in the last few years. His latest movie, Don’t Make Me Go, is the next one to make that list.

He plays Max, the single father to Wally (Mia Isaac). After he receives a life-changing medical diagnosis, Max decides to go to his high school reunion in New Orleans and makes Wally come along for the road trip from California.

This is a really cute father-daughter movie. When it begins, they are stuck in a rut and there is so much distance between them. Max is so uptight, strict and no fun and Wally rebels against that. The trip helps them rebuild their relationship and also allows Max to let down his guard and show Wally who he really is outside of being her dad.

I thought the film was really well written, especially the conversations between Wally and Max, and I loved the way the script slowly makes new revelations about Max’s interesting past as he opens up to Wally. Not the boring, strict dad after all! Max’s big announcement to Wally that we all knew that was coming was done in an interesting way and resulted in a really satisfying confrontation. Plus, we also get Cho doing a karaoke number!

But I felt really disappointed with the ending. I won’t share much as I don’t want to spoil it but it throws us such a game-changing curveball that I did NOT see coming and it pissed me off. What a decision!

Cho is terrific as the single father grappling with a lot of heavy stuff. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders and desperately wants to reconnect with his daughter. I wasn’t aware of Isaac’s work and came away so impressed by her, particularly in the pivotal confrontation scene. Their father-daughter chemistry is strong too. The weakest link for me was Kaya Scodelario as Max’s love interest, Annie. I just didn’t buy her as the character.

I imagine the ending for Don’t Make Me Go will divide people and some will like it. However, if you’re like me and you didn’t, it really risks ruining the whole movie (but doesn’t quite manage it).

On Prime Video from Friday 15th July