Don’t Make Me Go stars John Cho, Mia Isaac, Mitchell Hope, Jemaine Clement, Stefania LaVie Owen and Kaya Scodelario. Written by Vera Herbert, the 109 minutes adventure dramedy is directed by Hannah Marks. The music is by Jessica Rose Weiss, and the cinematography is by Jaron Presant. The film will release on Amazon Prime Video on July 15.
The synopsis reads, “A single father, who recently learned that he had a fatal illness, takes his teenage daughter on a cross-country road trip to find her estranged mother while attempting to educate her all she might need to know for the rest of her life along the way.”
Don’t Make Me Go Movie Review Contains No Spoilers
Don’t Make Me Go movie starts with Max (John Cho) taking his daughter Wally (Mia Isaac) to a beach. However, they are shocked to see that it is a nude beach. Wally gets mad at her father for taking her to a nude beach. Max had no idea people would be nude here. The screen freezes, and we hear Wally’s voice in the background saying that we won’t like how the story ends.
From the trailer, we already know that Max has a terminal illness and will die soon. His ex-wife left Max when Wally was just a baby. Max is concerned about his daughter’s future and wants her to reunite with his mother. He wants to teach his daughter more about life, bond with her and show her the world in whatever time he has left. Wally has no idea that her father is ill.
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The two hit the road and went for a trip from California to New Orleans. Wally also has her adventure with a group of young people she meets outside the hotel. The father-daughter duo also attend Max’s 20th college reunion. The equation between Max and Wally hit several bumps during the road trip. The story has all the elements we usually see in such kinds of movies.
Director and writer Hannah Marks and Vera Herbert have presented a story with a straightforward narrative. The arguments between Max and Wally are like every father and his teenage child. When they have a good time together, they’re adorable. You can sense the anger or hurt in the scenes when they fight.
However, as Wally warned us that we wouldn’t like how the story ends, she meant it. In the last 15 minutes, Don’t Make Me Go takes an unexpected turn. It’s the road we never thought Max or Wally would hit. However, the climax lacks the gut-wrenching emotion one should’ve felt.
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John Cho as a single father, Max, who’s constantly worried about his daughter, does an exceptional job. He gives a good performance as one expects from an actor like him. There’s also a scene where Cho sings. It was fun to watch him doing that. But that’s also the scene that changes the story entirely. Mia Isaac as Wally gives a fantastic performance. Both John and Mia engage us with their amazing father-daughter chemistry.
Don’t Make Me Go Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Don’t Make Me Go is just like life. One may think they know how things will work out, but life throws some other curveball. The movie packs in some heartwarming moments and some emotional sequences. It’s a good one-time watch.
The film will release on Amazon Prime Video on July 15.
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