Nick Jonas is playing the role of a grieving son in his upcoming film The Good Half. The film, which was first released at the 2023 Tribeca Festival stars Jonas in the lead role of Renn Wheeland who has to confront his past when his mother passes away. 

The newest trailer for the movie gave the audience a taste of what to expect. It is a heartfelt comedy-drama that deals with death, grief, and reconnection. The movie will be released in the United States next month.

What is The Good Half about?

According to the official synopsis of the movie, The Good Half focuses on Renn Wheeland, who has always avoided his problems and ran from his past. However, after his mother Lily’s (Elisabeth Shue) death, he has to come back home to Cleveland for the funeral.

On the flight back home, he meets another passenger called Zoey (Alexandra Shipp) and begins a new connection with her. But back home, he also has to heal his relationship with his overbearing sister Leigh (Brittany Snow).

Renn is also forced to face his eager-to-reconnect father Darren (Matt Walsh), and some other people from his past. Most importantly, it forces Renn to confront his past, problems, trauma, and his stepfather (David Arquette). 

The director of The Good Half Robert Schwartzman told PEOPLE that the plot of the movie, written by Brett Ryland really resonated with him. As Schwartzman lost his father at a very young age to cancer, and is still working through the loss.

The director added, “It felt familiar to me to revisit this type of experience through the main character and to revisit this family dynamic. I think these kinds of stories can be a welcoming experience to working through grief, especially with loss to cancer.”

The trailer of The Good Half pairs grief with comedy

Filled with moments of subtle comedy, the movie seems to deal with grief in a realistic and mature way. The movie already has an 8.1/10 IMDb and 86% Rotten Tomatoes ratings. 

The director Robert Schwartzman, known for his 2016 directorial debut Dreamland said he hopes the audience laughs, cries, and enjoys the movie. He also said that Nick Jonas was really committed to his role in the film as it’s his first leading role.

He added, “Also working on an indie film, having to be willing to put emphasis on telling this story while working quickly and trusting in the process. He was ‘in it’ every step of the way, as far as bringing the character to life and supporting the material and my vision for the film.”

He also said that The Good Half is not meant to invoke any one emotion and that the film will have a different impact on everybody since everyone’s way of dealing with grief is different.

The Good Half is finally coming out in the USA on July 23rd, 2024, Tuesday. The movie is being distributed in the country by Utopia, who also released the trailer of the film on their YouTube channel.