Don’t Make Me Go Movie Review

Not something usually done, “Don’t Make Me Go” tells us, using voiceover, what we’re going to think about the film. For some reason, Wally, played by young Mia Isaac, says to the audience, “You’re not going to like how this story ends.” ​

After hearing that we might not like how the story ends, we’re told that it’s likely that we’ll at least like the story. I’m guessing Wally’s quote is just another way of saying that “Life is not about the destination, but the journey.”  

I’m not sure if writer Vera Herbert’s (This Is Us) decision to start off deep into the negative is a brave move or a shortsighted one. I’ll let you decide that for yourself. Regardless, I found it compelling as it made me want to keep watching and reach that finale. The last act has quite the plot twist, I might add. You won’t see it coming.

The likable John Cho from the “Harold & Kumar” franchise plays the teenager’s father. We don’t get to see him and his daughter for long before we pick up that their relationship is good for what little time they spend with one another. They have the typical issues: she always has her face in her phone and he’s always at work. He’s dating someone Wally isn’t aware of and she’s dating someone Max doesn’t necessarily approve of.

Wally sneaks off to a party without telling Max. She gets rather angry that he not only grounds her but also makes her go on a trip with him. The last thing Wally wants is to leave her friend and her boyfriend to sit in the car with her father for hours at a time. But there’s a reason she has to go along. There’s something she isn’t yet aware of, something Max is anguishing about having to tell her.

A recent doctor’s appointment revealed that his current headaches are due to a bone tumor at the base of his skull. The time he has left on earth is short and needs to be spent doing the things a father would if he were alive. He has a year to fit everything in that he’ll miss when he dies while at the same time giving her lasting memories she would have otherwise missed. Since it has always been just the two of them, he’s also considering taking Wally to meet her mother for the first time.

The storyline is cliché. Its development is often stale and listless. The lesson of telling the truth is significant in the film, but the main character, Max, does all he can to do to be the opposite of upfront and honest.

His keeping the truth from everyone makes absolutely no sense, especially considering that he wants to leave Wally with the best image of him possible.

For the most part, the acting is solid. Though it’s touching at times, the script can be too melodramatic and unrealistic. That notwithstanding, I suggest you add this to your Amazon Prime queue for the acting and the come out of nowhere ending.