Come to Daddy (2019) - Good, then bad, then great

I didn't know what to expect when I found this on a streaming service.  Since Elijah Wood's performance in 'Lord of the Rings' I tend to check out most of his films and I kind of got the impression I was going to be watching a horror movie when I sat down.  How wrong I was.

He plays a young man, trekking back to California after receiving a letter from his long since absent father, talking about meeting up again after thirty years.  Let's just say the reunion doesn't go too well.

I mentioned I enjoyed the film - the first part.  And then something happened and I kind of wondered where it could go from here.  How wrong I was - again.  Then something totally comes right out of left field and the story takes a massive turn which continues in its craziness right up until the excellent ending.

I'd love to go into the plot more and say exactly what I liked, but part of the real enjoyment of this film was watching it for the first time and genuinely not knowing where it was going.  I've seen plenty of Hollywood films which have a 'set structure' and nothing out of the ordinary really happens.  With 'Come to Daddy' I did have the feeling that anything could happen and I didn't know how it would end.

It's not a horror, but I notice people use terms like 'black comedy.' I guess there's some of that in there, but I didn't laugh that much.  I found it more of a heart-warming thriller (if those two genres really go together!).  Either way, if you're looking for something that doesn't involve superheroes fighting hordes of CGI monsters under a skybeam then try this one.  It could well be a hidden gem.

And I never thought I'd hear eighties UK politician Michael Hesseltine's name in a film.  Ever.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one