Goodbye June 2025 Movie Review
How does one circumcise a face? A comment that made me and others laugh. Goodbye June is an engaging, relatable, sometimes funny, sometimes touching, movie that definitely has a feel-good definite ending, which may upset some viewers that think that everything is tied up too nicely at the end. This said, it’s meant to be a family and Christmas movie, and the point of watching such movies is often to see situations resolved in the best way possible.
No spoilers. This review is honest, not groveling. I’ve seen Goodbye June three times in cinemas, noticing new details every single time, before its Netflix December 24 release. Definitely worth a watch in a cinema setting. Coincidentally, I also saw Lee four times when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
I had incredibly high expectations for Goodbye June, as a huge Kate Winslet fan and already knowing so much about the film. So, I was scared it wouldn’t meet my expectations. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, including the non-dialog parts which added a lot to the viewing experience, such as the stealing of a sandwich bite. I liked the different angles, such as from June’s point of view (which Kate talked about in an interview). I laughed at parts unexpected, more than the audience who were about twenty years older than me. I’m Canadian and perhaps more expressive. I saw this in Chichester two times, and at the very independent small theatre Lexi Cinema in London.
There were a few unexpected twists which I appreciated, and not given away by any of the trailers. And yes, June really did pass away on her own terms, which can be appreciated in any times such as the approaching passing away of a loved one.
Perhaps a controversial comment, but I found the writing of this screenplay to be more streamlined and better, than the script for Lee which I found to be disjointed at points. Lee could have used some moments to really teach the audience. An example is the rape scene where the line was “next time he does it, cut it off”, a complete waste of a moment that could have been used much more powerfully. Maybe this is because several writers worked on Lee. Whereas in Goodbye June, it was just one scriptwriter, Kate’s son Joe Anders.
Toni Collette’s character was hilarious but also a bit too caricature in some parts, which made it less believable and effective. Though it’s obvious her character is initially meant to be humorous, it is stronger when it becomes more real and serious in the latter half. I liked the duality of some scenes, in other words, parallel things happening at the same time, shown via back-and-forth editing.
Kate’s direction was flawless, I would have never guessed it’s her directorial debut. I loved the choices of how to show different scenes including the ones with snow. As Kate fans, we all have seen her cry many times. But she did find new ways of crying, as Julia. This said, Kate was not the strongest actor out of the whole stellar iconic cast. I noticed elements of Mare and even April from Revolutionary Road. Speaking of crying, I didn’t cry but was close to a tear or two at points. A reason for this is that I was still in shock to see this opening night. I heard sniffles from the audience, and some people I talked to found this movie to be cathartic. There were some people I talked to who didn’t find this to be an overly strong movie, so perspectives were mixed.
Regarding nepotism, admittedly this has nothing to do with this rating: Some of us wish that Kate admits that as talented as her children are, the reason they get work is because their mom is Kate. A just-as-talented screenwriter at age 21 can’t just have their mom get the movie done, and ask icons like Helen Mirren to star. Nepotism doesn’t mean you aren’t talented (Joe and Mia are definitely talented), but it means you get way more opportunities to have your work done and seen. Perhaps it’s better public relations to just admit this.
But I’m so glad this film was made, by the people it was made by, and starring the people it starred. I especially liked Johnny Flynn (though by the third watch, I found his character to be a bit one dimensional), Timothy Spall, and of course Helen, and even the children were amazing and REAL. But I have to give a kudos to Elias Whittaker who plays Tibalt. Every moment with him on screen was magic, he was just so incredibly real in everything he said and did.
Finally, I’m not sure the movie deserves its 15 rating. Maybe it’s because it’s a movie about death. I barely noticed any bad words, maybe because they were said in moments that would be real to say them.
