Good Grief dropped quietly on Netflix just after Christmas. There are so many movies and TV series coming to this streaming service in particular, that it’s not even hard to keep up any more – it’s hard to notice. For some reason, this one caught our eye, and we decided to give it a spin. Dan Levy (who also writes and directs) plays illustrator Marc whose husband of some years is suddenly killed, and he ends up with best friends Thomas (Himesh Patel) and Sophie (Ruth Negga) in Paris, trying to make sense of it all.

For the first third, this is almost too well-done, a hauntingly accurate portrayal of what a life cut short looks like, and it was almost a relief when the plot took a turn for the slightly more melodramatic in the middle. Be warned, we’re leaving Schitt’s Creek a long way behind. And the story continues to be engrossingly told, keenly observed and well acted, even if it never bubbles over into anything more profound, moving or insightful. Levy keeps his David Rose tics under control, Patel underplays and probably could have stood to do a bit more, as he gets a bit lost. But MVP is Ruth Negga who (allowed to use her natural accent for once) has a whale of a time with the free-spirited Sophie who lights up every scene she’s in, even – or especially – when making terrible life choices.

Look out also for The Crown’s Emma Corrin, national treasure Celia Imrie and Luke Evans who has the mighty task of making us fall in love with Oliver in the ten minutes of screen time he has before his fatal accident.

3.5 out of 5 stars