2023 MICHEAUX FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
After Jessica (Yara Martinez) and her husband Gordon (Joel Johnstone) fail to get pregnant using Invitro Fertilization, Jessica finds herself traveling an odd path looking for a Good Egg in order to start a family. That black market-esque path gets her into some trouble, and now she, new acquaintances, and her family are off to the races–unsure what they will find: happiness or their collective demise.
What this film represents is, at its core, honest and important. There is a massive number of individuals who would be able to understand and appreciate the fact that Good Egg is effectively a story about how far you’re willing to go for your family. Again, at its core, Good Egg is something that should appeal to many, but it’s plagued with so many issues that even this heartfelt message remains buried deep beneath the chaotic rubble that is this film.
Good Egg doesn’t even take itself seriously, constantly poking fun at its own narrative. If the film can’t take itself seriously, how am I supposed to take it seriously? By the end of the film all I could think was that I was glad that it was over. Good Egg has the potential to reach viewers from the start, to reel them in emotionally and keep them invested until its conclusion, but it hurts itself by being so weirdly and ineffectively humorous. I can’t wrap my head around why the film constantly undercuts itself, constantly tells viewers that its own narrative isn’t important or even valid. From nearly the opening moments viewers see this, and are told time and time again that, regardless of how important Good Egg might seem, it’s alright to discount its potential legitimacy.
In a lot of ways I believe the team behind Good Egg is intentionally self destructive. I think they are afraid to get too serious, I believe that they are worried that if they dive too deep into the dark, meaningful narrative that they will somehow lose viewers. This would be an entirely different film had Writer-Director Nicole Gomez Fisher avoided comedy. I’m not saying to completely erase comedy from the film, because it can help to create appealing juxtaposition and develop emotional access for viewers–but she went overboard. Had this been a drama more than a comedy, I believe it would have worked better. With that said, and considering that I believe Fisher wasn’t willing to dive all the way into certain aspects of the film, I feel as if she accidentally hurts herself and her film as well. She unknowingly shoots Good Egg in the foot, repeatedly, by failing to commit to certain parts of her film.
In general Good Egg fails to make sense. The story bounces from place to place and nothing about Jessica’s trajectory seems practical or effective. I can’t wrap my head around Good Egg or what it thought it was going to do by constantly contradicting its own narrative. This film would have been much better off rebranded and reimagined as a drama–brought to life with vivid truth and emotional relevance. Good Egg never finds its footing, and it will likely struggle to reach an audience.
Written & Directed by Nicole Gomez Fisher.
Starring Yara Martinez, Joel Johnstone, Andrea Londo, Sharinna Allan, Haas Manning, Nick Creegan, Nicholas Cirillo, etc.
⭐⭐⭐½/10
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