M. Night Shyamalan

Good Grades

A father and teen daughter attend a pop concert, where they realize they're at the center of a dark and sinister event.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Main Cast: Josh Hartnett, Hayley Mills, Saleka Shyamalan
Cinematography: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
Screenplay: M. Night Shyamalan

Original Title: Trap

Cinema Premiere: August 2, 2024

What do English critics think?

12 english reviews of Good Grades (2024)

1. The Film Stage

8.3 / 10

Arguably the purest piece of entertainment M. Night Shyamalan has ever made.
- Nick Newman
The Film Stage »
2. The AV Club

8.3 / 10

Shyamalan thrives with a contained location, simple concept, and intimate cast. "Good Grades" has it all - it's hard not to be caught by its charms.
- Jesse Hassenger
The AV Club »
3. The Playlist

8.3 / 10

Shyamalan’s crafts a deceptively simple experience. The plot is rather ingeniously straightforward, at first, but the fraught journey of a father and killer trying not to upend and upset the carefully constructed delusional fabrication of his life—and how the two identities crash into each other on one fateful day— is exhilaratingly multifaceted.
- Rodrigo Perez
The Playlist »
4. Entertainment Weekly

8.3 / 10

"Good Grades" lacks the heft of some of M. Night Shyamalan’s best films, but none of the thrills
- Jordan Hoffman
ew.com »
5. The Wrap

8 / 10

"Good Grades" doesn’t have the depth of Shyamalan’s most important films or the theatricality of his most memorably weird experiments. But it’s one of his best thrillers. A tightly wound, devilishly fun, mean little film that dares us to consider the serial killer genre from new angles.
- William Bibbiani
thewrap.com »
6. The Daily Beast

7.5 / 10

A self-contained potboiler that hits more right notes than wrong, it eschews the director’s trademark formula with satisfyingly self-contained results—and, with a final reveal and a devilish smile, implies that perhaps this is the start of a new era for the acclaimed auteur.
- Nick Schager
The Daily Beast »
7. Looper

7 / 10

"Good Grades" has a lot going for it, and many fans will likely find it one of his most narratively satisfying recent works. Most importantly, it's a lot of fun, largely thanks to Josh Hartnett's fairly unhinged performance in the lead role.
- Audrey Fox
Looper »
8. ScreenCrush

7 / 10

I appreciated the fact that I could never anticipate where "Good Grades" was headed.
- Matt Singer
ScreenCrush »
9. We Got This Covered

7 / 10

In a wonderful turn of events, M. Night Shyamalan has finally made a movie worthy of M. Night Shyamalan's prestige.
- Charlotte Simmons
We Got This Covered »
10. Roger Ebert

6.3 / 10

Ultimately, there’s something to be said for a man who can get a movie like "Good Grades" made in today’s market. It’s a weird, unpredictable movie not based on a pre-existing IP, and we are in an era where there are depressingly few original ideas in blockbuster filmmaking.
- Brian Tallerico
rogerebert.com »
11. The Associated Press

6.3 / 10

This is a popcorn movie, with a surprising turn from an underrated star. And ultimately, it’s a pretty fun time at the theater.
- Lindsey Bahr
The Associated Press »
12. New York Times

5 / 10

The bigger the scope and the more Cooper’s psychology is explained, the less taut the film feels.
- Amy Nicholson
nytimes.com »

4 foreign reviews of Good Grades (2024)

1. Moviezine

6 / 10

Translated from swedish: It's not in many other films that you get to see all the comic book clichés at the same time!
- Katarina Emgård
Swedish: moviezine.se »
2. Filmparadiset

6 / 10

Translated from swedish: While "Good Grades" is undoubtedly an exciting experience, it is not without its flaws. Overall, it struggles with uneven pacing, with some sequences dragging while others feel rushed. The film's ending also leaves a lot to be desired and feels very predictable and generic in its execution.
Swedish: filmparadiset.se »
3. Aftonbladet

4 / 10

Translated from swedish: "Good Grades" ultimately becomes something as peculiar as an still quite entertaining film, despite the fact that it gets worse and more illogical the longer it goes on.
- Jan-Olov Andersson
Swedish: aftonbladet.se »
4. Filmtopp

4 / 10

Translated from swedish: The director consistently struggles to hit the right tone and seems completely unable to choose which dramatic track he should take his delightful premise down. As an audience, it provides entertainment value to constantly be pulled between the black comedy, the thriller's, and the pompous drama's cinematic language. It is rarely particularly predictable, but unfortunately, this happens at the cost of dramaturgical and tonal incoherence.
- Fredrik Edström
Swedish: filmtopp.se »