Don’t Make Me Go: Prime Videos New Zealand Shot Strange But Entertaining Road Movie

Listen to the Stuff To Watch podcast by hitting the “play” button below, or find it on podcast apps like Apple or Spotify†

Don’t Make Me Go (TBC, 109 minutes) Directed by Hannah Marks ***½

The hinterland of Christchurch and Auckland stands in for multiple US states in this endearing, entertaining, yet tonally strange road movie.

Viewers can be forgiven for being distracted by the confused use of our geography as father and daughter Max (John Cho) and Wally Park (Mia Isaac) bicker and try to bond on their way from California to New Orleans. – and possibly over.

READ MORE:
† The Sea Beast: Karl Urban headlines Netflix’s distracting Moana mash-up on the high seas
† Boo, Bitch: Netflix’s Addictive, Anarchic New Supernatural High School Comedy
† The Janes: Fascinating, Now Terrifying Look Back at American Abortions Before Roe v Wade
† Red Dog: Australia’s biggest crowd-pleasing dog groomer is coming to Netflix
† The Terminal List: Chris Pratt’s deeply disappointing return to the small screen

Although their relationship has been strained lately due to the growing influence of Wally’s “boyfriend” Glenn, they haven’t been very open with each other for a while. She lies about her whereabouts at night, while he has been having a casual affair with French teacher Annie (Kaya Scodelario) for some time now.

However, a visit to the doctor suddenly makes reconnecting with his only progeny an urgent concern for the solo father. Turns out that recurring headache he has comes from a malignant bone tumor at the base of his skull. Only surgery followed by radiotherapy will likely be effective, but, as the doctor tells him, there’s a good chance he won’t survive the surgery.

“My daughter isn’t ready for me to die yet,” Max says, saying goodbye and letting Wally know that night that he’s decided to go to his high school reunion in Louisiana after all—and because she’s now under house arrest— she comes with him.

In reality, however, there is only one person Max hopes to catch up with, his ex and Wally’s estranged mother Nicole (Jen Van Epps), the woman who ran off with his friend Dale (Jemaine Clement) when Wally was just a baby.

Following a grueling series of set pieces, encounters and life lessons, when Max leaves Wally behind the wheel for the first time, they sneak out to a party in Texas, they show up at a special kind of beach and discover a shared love of Iggy Bang. The importance and portents of Wally’s first voiceover eventually become apparent, as Josh Thomson pops up in an extended cameo as Max’s gay best friend.

The script of This is Us writer Vera Herbert, which has been famously blacklisted for nearly a decade, ends up feeling a little forced, the easygoing charm between the two protagonists being strangled by the machinations of the plot.

Actor-turned-director Hannah Marks (best known for her appearances in Weeds and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency) third feature also tries to keep things moving and lively, finding the joy and drama in the little moments, but ultimately Don ‘t Make Me Go is likely to polarize audiences as to its ultimate destiny and value.

Don’t Make Me Go begins streaming on Prime Video on July 15.