Don't Make Me Go

Max is raising his daughter alone. Wally is fifteen and barely speaks to him. Max goes to a doctor about a pain in his head and the diagnosis is serious: the operation is risky, and without it there is little time. He tells nobody. Instead he plans a journey: he will put his daughter in the car and drive from California to New Orleans; there is a college reunion there and Wally's mother, who left them years ago, will be at it. Along the way he tries to teach his daughter everything he can. Hannah Marks directs. John Cho plays Max and Mia Isaac plays Wally. The form is a road film and a father and daughter narrative; the shape is familiar and the narrative largely keeps it. There is a warning at the opening: the narrator says directly that the ending will not be liked. The ending caused argument; the narrative does not give the expected resolution and that choice divided the reviews. The fit between John Cho and Mia Isaac carries the film. The things taught along the way set the structure: driving, dancing, keeping accounts. Its limit is register; the narrative reaches often for emotional peaks and some scenes are forced. It was released on a streaming platform. Who it is for: viewers who like road films and family drama. Who it is not for: the plot is familiar, the emotional register high, and the ending may be found uncomfortable.