Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass star within the adaptation of the true story that shocked the world.
Plot: Advised from a number of factors of view, as a way to discover problems with perspective, bias, and trauma, this compelling drama is impressed by the disturbing tales surrounding a Midwestern couple who adopts a lady with a uncommon type of dwarfism. However as they start to boost her alongside their three organic youngsters, thriller emerges round her age and background, and so they slowly begin to suspect she might not be who she says she is. As they defend their household from the daughter they’ve grown to consider is a menace, she fights her personal battle to confront her previous and what her future holds, in a showdown that finally performs out within the tabloids and the courtroom.
Evaluation: The concept there are two sides to each story has by no means been more true than within the weird saga of Natalia Grace. Adopted on the age of seven, Natalia Grace’s story grew to become nationwide information when it was found that she was deserted by her mother and father, who claimed she was really a twenty-two-year-old posing as a baby. The following court docket case and DNA testing revealed the reality, however there’s nonetheless a divide between Natalia Grace’s claims about herself and people of her adoptive mom, Kristine Barnett. Whereas a Max documentary collection centered on Natalia Grace’s story, the brand new Hulu dramatized collection Good American Household tackles a number of factors of view, together with these of the Barnetts. Led by Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass, Good American Household is a pulpy and overwrought melodrama straight out of the traditional primetime made-for-television fare of the Eighties and Nineties.
Good American Household follows Kristine Barnett (Ellen Pompeo), a loyal advocate for kids with particular wants who’s opening a middle for disabled children in honor of her autistic son, Jacob (Aias Dalman). Having not too long ago misplaced out on adopting a daughter, Kristine and her husband, Michael (Mark Duplass), are experiencing a rift of their marriage. When the sudden alternative arises to undertake a younger lady in determined want of a foster household, Kristine and Mark leap on the probability and convey Natalia Grace (Imogen Religion Reid) into their house. Realizing she suffers from a type of dwarfism, the Barnetts are caught off guard by Natalia’s weird conduct, together with tantrums, outbursts, and bodily threats. Whereas Michael remains to be enamored with having a daughter, Kristine begins to assume that Natalia is definitely an grownup posing as a baby to con them, one thing seemingly impressed by the movie Orphan.
The early episodes of Good American Household present Natalia’s weird conduct and the rising suspicion held by Kristine, which she convinces her household and pals to consider. Because the behaviors worsen, Kristine and Michael legally get Natalia’s beginning date modified from 2003 to 1989 earlier than renting her an residence and abandoning her. Natalia is pressured to fend for herself to outlive earlier than she is taken in by Cynthia (Christina Hendricks) and Antwon Mans (Jerod Haynes). The Mans household consider Natalia’s story and help her in taking authorized motion towards the Barnetts. This battle takes the collection by way of the 2022 authorized proceedings towards Kristine and Michael. Exhibiting us the occasions as they occurred and flashbacks to completely different views by way of the years illustrates the story in a manner that doesn’t draw any concrete conclusions however delivers a extra balanced story than I anticipated.
Whereas the depth and surprising components of Natalia Grace’s story are sufficient on their very own to construct a dramatic collection round, Good American Household leans closely into the melodramatic and pulpy aspect of the narrative. At occasions, Mark Duplass and Ellen Pompeo appear to be appearing in an overwrought collection that borders on comedy. There are extra nuanced performances from Dule Hill as Detective Brandon Drysdale and Sarayi Blue as Kristine’s pal Val, however probably the most spectacular flip is from Imogen Religion Reid. Reid, a 27-year-old actress, performs Natalia Grace from age seven by way of sixteen, convincingly appearing progressively extra mature because the timeline advances. Within the early episodes, a few of her mannerisms and outbursts play on the horror film paranoia skilled by Kristine Barnett. Nonetheless, it doesn’t go thus far excessive that it defies believability. The identical can’t be stated about Pompeo and Duplass, who usually really feel like caricatures of the actual Barnetts. Pompeo, who has spent virtually twenty years starring on Gray’s Anatomy, usually wavers between Joan Crawford in Mommy Dearest and a extra balanced portrayal of who Kristine Barnett really is. Due to the character of the actual occasions, Good American Household doesn’t take sides however convincingly leaves the interpretation open to the viewers as to who’s telling the reality.
Created by Katie Robbins (Sunny, The Affair), who serves as co-showrunner alongside Sarah Sutherland (9 Good Strangers), Good American Household was additionally written by Eoghan O’Donnell, Jaquen Tee Castellanos, and Samantha Levenshus. Directing duties fell to Liz Garbus (Yellowjackets), Stacie Passon, Seith Mann, Eva Vives, and Iain MacDonald. Every of the eight episodes takes the story in near-sequential order by way of the adoption of Natalia Grace by way of the outcomes of the much-publicized trial. Suppose you’re unfamiliar with how issues have turned out for Natalia and the Barnetts. In that case, the collection outlines the occasions fairly properly whereas additionally laying sufficient theories and various concepts that you could be query who’s telling the reality. The laborious info are carefully aligned with what the media has revealed, however that doesn’t cease the collection from posing some wrinkles within the story that elevate the drama for leisure functions.
Remembering that this collection is impressed by the reality moderately than a real story is an efficient disclaimer going into issues. No matter you consider about what occurred to Natalia Grace, Good American Household provides a balanced portrait of who was accountable for which acts. On the finish of the day, whether or not Natalia or Kristine, and Michael Barnett have been accountable for what befell throughout their familial bond, nobody seems good by the tip. In truth, a closing be aware on the finish of the finale reveals one other surprising undeniable fact that got here to gentle through the manufacturing of the collection, making Good American Household much more tragic. As intriguing because the story is, Good American Household too usually embraces performances and storytelling that really feel inauthentic and foolish, undermining the unhappiness of this story. Something involving youngsters being harmed is difficult to observe, however how callously this manufacturing treats it typically makes it really feel inappropriate and borderline disrespectful.
Good American Household is now streaming on Hulu.
