A new film directed by Zach Braff – okay. A new film where Zach Braff directs his then-girlfriend, and fledgling superstar, Florence Pugh – hell, yeah!
Allison (Florence Pugh) is addicted to oxycontin. Her whole life fell apart when she was driving the car that killed her soon-to-be sister-in-law and her husband, leading to Allison breaking up with her fiancé Nathan (Chinaza Uche), and getting hooked on the addictive pain meds first prescribed to her for a head injury. Meanwhile, Nathan’s orphaned niece Ryan (Celeste O’Connor), now lives with her Grandfather Daniel (Morgan Freeman), and she is proving a handful. The pressure put on Daniel tempts him to reach for the bottle again after ten years sober; a move he knows would be a mistake. A chance encounter at an AA meeting leads to both Allison and Daniel attempting to find the strength to get their lives back in order.
This movie might’ve got me at a good time because I’ve just been listening to the Scrubs soundtrack, coincidentally, in my car, and I remember Zach Braff also used his connections to enhance the Garden State soundtrack magnificently back in the day too. Who knew Florence Pugh could sing, and sing well – Zach Braff did, and utilises her talents throughout the movie. But sadly, whilst there are a few really good scenes, A Good Person intersects them with just as many moments that are lackluster. I can’t help but think this movie could’ve worked better if those opening scenes before the car crash were left out, and the movie simply got underway while Allison was already downtrodden, and living with her mother, Diane (Molly Shannon). To Leslie is one of a few recent examples that did this well – for those who haven’t seen To Leslie, the main character is a confronting alcoholic with a fantastical backstory, where she once won the lottery and has blown her money away, returning to the small town she grew up in where everyone knows her business; and we barely get a glimpse of that rich past life that founds the events at play. Imagine how this movie could’ve worked by spending the first twenty minutes getting acquainted with Allison, and Daniel with Ryan separately, and the first time our two stories collide is with that AA meeting – the pair seem to have history, but we don’t exactly know what, but are gradually filled in from that moment. I don’t even know if fiancé Nathan needed to be seen in this movie either, perhaps until the very end. Because A Good Person works best when it is about Daniel bonding with Allison, and then Allison assisting the girl who would’ve been her niece. There’s a sweet irony to how these broken people find family in the people that should’ve been their family, if life had been simpler. I can see layers of drama that this movie doesn’t actively maximise, due to clunky dialogue and action. And if I cut out what I don’t like and focus on the best, the opening portion of this movie is about two juxtaposed unruly young women butting heads with their immediate caregivers, before Daniel and Allison must come to terms with each other; Ryan then discovers Allison, and confronts her like a shark in the water, before they reconcile, until finally, Allison forgives herself for the inciting incident. Having said all this, the structure of Monster’s Ball is another movie that also comes to mind, that handles the complexity of its situation and moving parts with much less schmaltz, resulting in a more effective movie, even if these characters may be more interesting. I also would’ve reversed that it was Allison that broke up with Nathan, so that Nathan could be at odds with both Daniel and Allison similarly, but it’s a smallish detail to really quibble about.
Then, I also have to write about what actually happens with A Good Person, and that second-act climax dives this movie off a cliff! Tiny melodramatic tendencies that delivered minor annoyances throughout the movie become the main focus, and at a quick clip, we have to deal with Allison getting back on drugs hours after deciding to wash her pills down the sink; potential date rape, surprise gun vengeance, and a small moment where Nathan might be jealous of his pill-popping ex behind his new lady’s back 😬 Alternatively, I definitely would’ve had Allison and Ryan’s night out actually go well, adding to their bond, and adding some lighter emotion to this rollercoaster that is more often than not a tragic tale. Yeah, maybe Allison hooks up with that drummer, and the next morning Ryan invites Allison for coffee and surprises her with Uncle Nathan 🤷♂️ This is definitely one of those movies that I watch and wonder if I could have revamped the screenplay – mending conversations or reworking interactions – in the hopes of making something greater. A Good Person’s contrivances even extend to the final shot, as Allison turns off Daniel’s basement light for the last time, as if this movie is on the same plane as Cheers, 30 years ago.
At least those early happy scenes allowed for a different type of chill charisma from Florence Pugh, where her primary talents usually come from being defiantly oppositional, I would say, and I enjoyed it very much. As tremendous as she is, and always is, it was Morgan Freeman who impressed me most. The last time I saw Freeman was in Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard and he looked so old – the man is 86 after all, and although some prefer to work until the day they die, I was thinking he might be better off spending his twilight years at rest 😬 But Freeman is prolific, and I know he’s worked with Zach Braff previously on Going in Style. This role is perfect for him, and if this is the last time I can say that he was ever good, then I’ll remember it fondly. Molly Shannon was a pleasant sight too, as I just think Molly Shannon is an underrated… person – I just really love her so much. At early stages, I thought her character might fill a hole I felt with Laura Dern’s mother in The Son, but it wasn’t to be, and Shannon isn’t used so effectively after the first third of the movie or so. Speaking of underutilised, I recently came across a discussion on the best “one-scene performances” in a movie, and I think Hereditary-boy (Alex Wolff) just made my personal short list, as Allison’s dodgy high school classmate 😮 I also thought Celeste O’Connor might’ve been the teen who played Ironheart in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but no, although she’s still really very good.
I didn’t hate this movie but as much as it disappoints for how it could’ve been so much better. It’s like 70% there, and it wouldn’t have taken much to get it to 90%. A Good Person ultimately makes me more appreciative of the movies that know how to stay in the pocket, complete their characters with grounded inflection, and root out the most dramatic senses possible. It may be harsh, but I think A Good Person will prove forgettable, wasting fantastic performances and a willing ensemble.
2.5
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