LYNN — An independent movie based in Lynn is set to be released on Dec. 19.
Screenwriter and Co-Director Caroline Keene, of Marion, described “Merry Good Enough,” a dark-comedy holiday film, as “kind of a reverse ‘Home Alone.’”
“The movie is about a dysfunctional family during the holidays and centered around the disappearance of the mother of the family and how the siblings must come together with the help of their estranged father to find their mom and come together as a unit again,” Keene said.
The movie was filmed in Lynn and other North Shore communities in December 2022.
“It was really cool to make a holiday movie during the holidays,” Keene said. “All the lights and things weren’t just set decorations. It was real.”
The movie was primarily filmed in West Lynn, at the home of crew member Jake Fay’s parents.
“One of our crew members is from Lynn and said his parents said we could film in their house,” Keene said. “My friend who lives in Lynn drove to the house because I was in L.A. and was taking pictures for me. The house is really incredible. It’s almost like a character in the movie.”
Other shooting locations included Peabody, Danvers, and Beverly.
“Being from Massachusetts and someone who loves movies where the setting and environment are such an important part of how the film feels, to be able to make something and have it be in real locations and have this house be in Lynn just adds to the texture of the film and the energy of it,” Keene said. “The movie is all made in Mass, but anyone who is really from here is going to know that that hockey rink is not in Lynn, it’s Peabody.”
Keene wrote the script back in 2015. Two years later, she met Dan Kennedy, who became co-director and producer, and they began to collaborate on the movie.
She said that Kennedy had made some independent films and believed they could bring “Merry Good Enough” to life.
“Over the years, we’ve been talking about it, trying to raise some money and kind of hitting roadblocks,” Keene said. “Last fall, we kind of decided we were going to make it no matter what and see what we could pull off.”
The ensemble cast is led by Raye Levine, who plays Lucy Raulie, the daughter of the missing mother.
Sawyer Spielberg, Levine’s real-life husband and the son of Steven Spielberg, plays Raulie’s love interest, Sam McGrath.
The estranged patriarch of the family is played by Joel Murray, a veteran of many movies and television shows and the youngest brother of Bill Murray.
Keene said that it is a surreal feeling to see her written work become a finished movie.
“This is my first movie, and you don’t realize until you’re doing it how much teamwork and how many people go into making a movie come to life,” she said. “We wanted to make something fun and entertaining, but also real. Someone said to us that the movie is really fun, but it’s not fluffy. It’s not a Hallmark movie.”
The movie will be available to rent or buy on multiple platforms, including Apple, Amazon, and Dish, on Dec. 19.
There also will be a special advance screening at Cinema Salem on Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.
