Hannah Marks’ new feature Don’t Make Me Go is a coming-of-age dramedy that announces from the get-go that you’re going to leave disappointed. “You’re not gonna like the way this story ends,” the teenage lead states in the opening. “But I think you’re gonna like the story.” It’s an accurate statement, with a divisive third act that dampens the emotional charm and depth of the film’s beginning majority.
Written by Vera Herbert, Don’t Make Me Go follows Maxwell (John Cho), a single father who struggles with telling his teenage daughter Wally (Mia Isaac) that he’s been diagnosed with terminal bone cancer. He decides against receiving the surgery, a risky operation with a 20% chance of survival, and instead opts to tie up the loose ends of Wally’s future with his one year left to live. With a limited number of days left and zero family available to take care of Wally after he passes, Max convinces his reluctant daughter to accompany him on a cross-country road trip to his 20th college reunion, promising driving lessons along the way if she has a good attitude. Unbeknownst to Wally, Max is also hoping to reunite her with her estranged mother.
The film takes a standard formulaic approach to the terminal illness trope, with emotional life lessons and throwaway lines about death scattered throughout. It’s a movie designed to make you shed some tears, as we watch Max attempt to cram as many memories and wisdom as possible into this single trip before Wally finds it suspicious. However, the film seems to view Max’s illness more as a way to further the message that we need to live our lives to the fullest before it’s too late. Though the theme is undeniably sweet and full of heart, it, unfortunately, may come across as a bit stereotypical given the undertone of bittersweetness that is layered across every interaction between the two leads.
Even so, the most joyous part of the film is watching the tender relationship between Max and Wally. As the duo traverse across the country, they find themselves stumbling through a variety of scenarios that bring the two closer together. Some moments are hopelessly sweet, such as Max offering romantic advice during a father-daughter slow dance. Some are terrifying, such as Wally sneaking out to party with older teenagers overnight, making a parent’s worst nightmare come true. And others are just plain awkward, including an accidental and uncomfortable detour to a nude beach that has both Max and Wally scarred. Regardless of the situation, the back-and-forth chemistry between Cho and Isaac authentically captures the unconditional love between a father and daughter.
While Don’t Make Me Go thrives in creating a comfortable familiarity in its lead duo’s relationship, the questionable twist at the end upsets the overall message and cheapens the character developments that the film spent so long building up. In a callback to the beginning of the film, Wally reminds the audience in another voiceover: “I said you weren’t going to like the way the story ends.” Though this reminder doesn’t soothe viewers or even lessen its shock factor. Rather, the twist is engineered to be more like a “Gotcha!” moment and guarantee tears. Up until this point, we’re led to believe that the film is about the growth between a father and daughter. We see Wally learn to view her dad as more than just an overbearing protective figure and as someone with his own skeletons in his closet and mistakes of the past. Unfortunately, the twist completely changes how the story is meant to be viewed, making it less about Max and Wally’s bond. The twist instead feels drastically out of place as it rushes through the necessary setup needed to pull off such a dramatic tonal shift so close to the end.
Despite its lackluster ending, Don’t Make Me Go still manages to be a heartwarming addition to the coming-of-age story canon. The father-daughter dynamic between Max and Wally is handled with delicate care that makes the film relatable and moving without being overly corny. The ending is what takes away the film’s most promising aspects, as it is jarring and unfamiliar. If anything, the overarching message would have been more successful if it leaned more directly into its tropes rather than attempting to subvert audience expectations. Whether it be an addition of silly road trip shenanigans or arguments about the vast uncertainty of the future, tropes are tropes for a reason, and I believe that stories like Don’t Make Me Go, work best when they’re perfecting established conventions.
Don’t Make Me Go will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video on July 15.
