Rather remarkably, “The Best You Can” represents the first time real-life spouses Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon have been onscreen together in 20 years. And if their reunion is just as easygoing and unpretentious as their beloved at-home TikToks, well, is that really anything to complain about?
Sedgwick’s Cynthia seems, at first, to be living a pretty ideal life. She and her brilliant husband, Warren (Judd Hirsch), have a gorgeous home in Brooklyn, and she works as a successful urologist while he rests on the laurels of a celebrated career as a Watergate prosecutor. But there are cracks, which get wider every time Warren forgets where he is, or what he’s working on. And these fissures soon make space for Stan (Bacon), a security guard who patrols Cynthia’s neighborhood.
After an apparent break-in brings them together one night, Cynthia and Stan find themselves texting jokes, then daily commentary, and finally deeply personal confessions. Soon their chats become a lifeline, as their other relationships begin to feel increasingly unstable. Cynthia has to take care of Warren even when he insists he’s never been more dynamic, and Stan is desperate to connect with his alienated daughter Sammi (Brittany O’Grady, “The White Lotus”), a barista who clearly resents her father for … something. He’ll have to figure out why she’s so angry, if he wants any chance at reconciling in a meaningful way.
Writer-director Michael Weithorn has decades of experience in television; he’s been head writer or executive producer on everything from “Family Ties” to “The King of Queens.” And there are times when his sitcom instinct must have been too strong to resist—like when Stan uses Cynthia as his own urologist, leading to prostate jokes that are as uncomfortable for us as they are for him. But he’s also working with a top-notch cast, who are able to simultaneously smooth the edges and push the boundaries of his script. Sedgwick and Bacon are visibly delighted to be together, and we buy Cynthia and Stan’s connection even when it feels underwritten.
Meanwhile Hirsch is, at 90 years old, absolutely wonderful as Warren, a man who refuses to relinquish the vitality he’s earned over a lifetime. And Meera Rohit Kumbhani (“Weird Loners”) is charming as his nurse Pramila, whom he thinks is a grad student helping him write a new book. A sprightly soundtrack from Kurt Farquhar and crisp cinematography from Andrew Wonder also help elevate the action.
So no, perhaps this isn’t the most sophisticated project these accomplished veterans might have chosen. But sometimes, it’s enough just to spend time with people you enjoy. “The Best You Can” is proof that’s true for both actors and audience alike.
“The Best You Can” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.