Now Is Good (DVD) - A Review

"Live every moment, Love every minute"

Tessa Scott, Now Is Good.

Finding out she has terminal cancer after being diagnosed with leukemia at the tender age of just 14, Tessa (played by Dakota Fanning) sets out to live the rest of her life to the full. She has made a list of things that she wants to do before she dies including taking drugs, staying up to watch the sunrise and the one which tops this list is losing her virginity. While her best friend Zoey embraces Tessa's wishes and strives to help her see them through, her parents on the other hand have very different ideas on how their daughter should live her final days/months/years. 

Along the way Tessa, who is now 17, meets her new neighbour Adam (Jeremy Irvine) , who helps her to fulfill her ultimate wish which is to fall in love which in turn leads her to strike off another (her virginity). Then Tessa is told by her consultant that nothing more can be done for her, that the meds she is on are no longer working. Having achieved many of her wishes now and being happy and in love,  maybe dying now is good.

Now Is Good tackles death and terminal illness in a fresh and original way by making its heroine young and hip. Its a little like The Bucket List for the teen generation. I would imagine this film sitting well with youngsters who enjoy Skins and the Twilight films (the latter of which, I hasten to add I do like myself), because I would imagine them being able to relate to Tessa and her lifestyle choices better than I can. I kind of felt like her Mum while watching the narrative unfold and not really being able to relate to her and her hopes, dreams and impulses. I guess I am too old for this films target audience. 

However, the film is full of credible performances by its stars Fanning and Irvine and I enjoyed watching the performances of Tessa's parents too (Olivia Williams and Paddy Considine), in particular her father who has been her support throughout her illness and is wary of young whipper snapper Adam muscling his way in and offering to help nurse his beloved Tessa. Although my only criticism about Tessa is that while Fanning pulled off a very realistic British accent, it was rather posh and a bit too proper compared to her family's. 

My favourite part of the film was actually the final part when Tessa discovers she is going to die and we watch her become more frail as death gets ever closer and we see her family and Adam trying to put on a brave face, and Tessa herself speak to the audience, telling us of all that she will leave behind. I found this quite heart wrenching, as for the first time I felt for her and the emotional turmoil she was facing. Although watching this film as a parent myself,  I still felt more empathy with Tessa's parents having to bear the loss of a child.

Now Is Good is a well scripted and well acted film tackling a difficult subject. The characters are believable and the plot was  too and not far fetched, just down to earth and realistic. I just feel that I am not the right age for it and therefore found it hard to relate to the central character.

Now Is Good is available to buy now on DVD after its release date of 21st January, 2012.

I was sent a copy of the film for the purpose of this review. All comments made are my own and honest.