‘Good Grief’ review: Daniel Levy directs his first film, a showcase of sadness, humor and beauty

 Most of us came to know and appreciate Daniel Levy’s boundless charm and considerable talents in a primarily comedic role in “Schitt’s Creek,” for which Levy won a total of four Emmys in 2020 for outstanding comedy series (he was executive producer) and best supporting actor, as well as for writing and directing the series finale. Levy now takes his quadruple-threat skill set to feature-length film by directing, writing, producing and starring in the warm and lovely albeit formulaic weeper “Good Grief,” which is not the story of the adult Charlie Brown (rats!) but the tale of a man who turns to his best friends for solace in his time of great need.

Bathed in comforting and golden tones, “Good Grief” opens on a Christmas party hosted by Levy’s Marc, an artist, and his husband Oliver (Luke Evans) in their posh townhouse in the Notting Hill section of London, where they’re surrounded by their great-looking and fast-witted friends, including Thomas (Himesh Patel), an ex of Marc’s who clearly still pines for him, and Sophie (Ruth Negga), a hipster costumer designer who loves to party, perhaps a bit too much.

Oliver has made a fortune as the author of a series of best-selling fantasy adventure novels about a telepathic heroine named Victoria Valentine that have been adapted into a hit film franchise, Marc does the illustrations for the books, and they seem to be in the midst of an idyllic romance at this perfect party. Oliver leads the guests in a singalong to William Bell’s “Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday” before he dashes off for a book signing in Paris, handing Marc a handwritten Christmas card before climbing into a taxi.

Moments later, we hear Procol Harum’s mournful power ballad “Whiter Shade of Pale” (curiously enough, this is one of two movies coming out this week featuring that classic song) as the sounds of sirens are heard, and we pan down the block, where Oliver’s cab has been involved in a tragic accident.

Just like that, Marc is alone.

As Marc tries to process his grief, Levy the writer deftly mixes comedy with the heartbreak. Kaitlyn Dever has a hilarious cameo as the narcissistic actress who stars as Victoria in the film series and gives a wildly inappropriate speech at the funeral, while Emma Corrin also has a zippy one-scene appearance as a trust-fund performance artist gyrating madly in a web of knitting at a London gallery, and a scene-stealing Celia Irmie is Marc and Oliver’s lawyer Imelda, who clips off every line as if she’s in a 1930s screwball comedy. (Levy proves to be a generous director and writer; although this is Marc’s story, many of the best lines go to the supporting players, most notably Negga and Patel.)

A full year later, Marc finally musters the courage to open that card Oliver had handed to him, and let’s just say there’s quite the Oliver twist contained within that card. Marc learns Oliver had a beautiful apartment in Paris — an apartment that now belongs to Marc — and he invites his friends Thomas and Sophie to accompany him for a holiday jaunt in the most romantic city in the world, an irony that is not lost on him. 

Thomas and Sophie are here to have a good time, soak in the sights and sounds of the city, maybe find a hookup. Marc keeps secrets from his friends while trying to figure out certain developments from the past. Medhi Baka turns up as Luca, who might be able to help Marc solve a mystery or two, while Arnaud Valois is Theo, a possible new romantic interest.

“Good Grief” is a great-looking film (it helps when your two primary locations are some of the nicest sections of London and Paris) with impeccable production design and costume work; even when the main characters are going through some serious stuff, they look spiffy while doing so. At times the messaging is a little too spot-on, as with the needle drop of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” and a scene set against the backdrop of Monet’s “Water Lilies” that spells things out a little too much. We also get an ending that might be a bit too pat for some, but it feels earned and justified; we want Marc, and his messed-up friends, to find some measure of peace and happiness in this world, so they can get back to the quipping and the bantering and the looking great in the fabulous fashions.

Dan Levy is a wonderfully nuanced performer who can say volumes with seemingly simple shifts in expressions or a note-perfect line delivery, and with “Good Grief,” we have further evidence he’s equally gifted as a storyteller.