Good Bad Things Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Good Bad Things Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 7, 2025

Films like Good Bad Things can be a kind of thorny reviewing experience, since in this particular case the story features an actor named Danny Kurtzman who suffers from muscular dystrophy playing a character named Danny who suffers from muscular dystrophy, and the entire "plot" (as minimal as it may be) hinges on this differently abled man using a dating app to try to find "true love". Good Bad Things might seem to smack of being exploitative of Kurtzman's situation, but that's actually kind of the point of it all, thrusting a man whom some might shirk in public front and center up there on the big screen, and it's notable that Kurtzman co-wrote the screenplay. All of this said, if Good Bad Things has undeniably noble intentions and a rather brave portrayal by Kurtzman at its core, the film has some pacing issues and a certain inconsistency in performances which may keep it from being a total success.

The kind of "McGuffin" of Good Bad Things is that Danny runs a marketing company with his best bud and caretaker Jason (Brett Dier), a company which is on life support, but which Danny in particular thinks can be resuscitated if he can land the account of a new dating app called Rubi. "Field research" with the app leads Dani to unexpectedly match with Madi (Jessica Parker Kennedy), and there is some initial question as to why Madi is on the app and especially why she seems to be legitimately interested in Danny. The film has such a solid heart and is so distinctive in its depiction of a physically challenged individual that it might seem downright curmudgeonly to quibble about some insufficient writing and occasionally stumbling characterizations, but for those wanting a decidedly different romantic tale, Good Bad Things is probably sui generis enough to elide its issues.

Good Bad Things Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Good Bad Things is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Music Box Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.90:1. As of the writing of this review, the IMDb doesn't offer much in the way of technical information, but the closing credits roll features a Canon logo and I found this YouTube video advertising the fact that the shoot utilized the Canon EOS R5 C. I'm assuming this had a 2K DI. The appearance of this transfer is often crystal clear and nicely detailed, but it much more strongly resembles high def video than film, which may or may not appeal to some. The palette is generally nicely suffused, if kind of oddly skewed toward beiges and other neutral tones some of the time. A tendency for framings in the midrange to close-up territory tends to support fine detail. There is just a hint of murkiness on some dimly lit scenes that kind of reminded me of early Arri Alexa captures.

Good Bad Things Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Good Bad Things features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options. The surround track opens up an admittedly not very ambitious sound design with regard to some of the underscore and source cues, as well as intermittent ambient environmental sounds, but really the stereo track suffices perfectly well for a largely dialogue driven enterprise. All spoken material is delivered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Good Bad Things Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Filmmaker Panel from LA Premiere with Ramy Youssef (HD; 31:06)


• Filmmaker Panel Discussion from Century City screening with Sian Heder (HD; 36:39)


• A Conversation with Danny Kurtzman and Steve Way (HD; 1:06:58) is a Zoom conversation.


• Interview with Director Shane Stanger and DP Nathan Haugaard (HD; 2:31)


• Trailer (HD; 1:18)

Good Bad Things Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If the trailer included on this disc as a supplement is any indication, Good Bad Things has been a veritable darling of the independent festival circuit, and, yes, I absolutely kind of feel guilty not liking it more than I did, but there you have it. There's an undeniable bravery to this outing, I just wish it had been more consistent in writing, performance and pacing. Technical merits are first rate and the supplement very appealing, for those who may be considering making a purchase.