Zach Braff is probably still best-known as Dr JD Dorian on the very funny TV series Scrubs. But he’s also directed several films – including the well-regarded Garden State (2004), Wish I Was Here (2014) and Going in Style (2017). Now after a few years working in television, he’s back with A Good Person.
Braff (who also wrote the screenplay) has crafted a portrait of a young woman in crisis. And although the story is nothing terribly new, it’s distinguished by two things – Braff’s singular attention to intricate detail, and another stunning performance from Florence Pugh.
When the film opens, Allison (Pugh) seems to have it all. She has a great job as a pharmaceutical rep and is engaged to the handsome Nathan (Chinaza Uche). Soon after the engagement party, Allison is driving Nathans’s sister Molly (Nichelle Hines) and Molly’s boyfriend (Zachary Garmers) on an outing to try on wedding dresses. However, a moment’s inattention ends in tragedy. The car slams into a backhoe. Allison wakes up in hospital, and soon learns to her horror that both passengers are dead. Nathan, naturally, is distraught.
A year later, Allison has moved home to live with her mother Diane (Molly Shannon). She’s no longer with Nathan, she has no job and she’s addicted to painkillers. Meanwhile, Nathan and Molly’s father, Daniel (Morgan Freeman), has become the guardian to Molly’s teenage daughter Ryan (Celeste O’Connor). The ageing Daniel (a recovering alcoholic who’s been 10 years sober) struggles to cope with his own and Ryan’s grief, particularly as she’s acting out – in sometimes dangerous ways. All of them are spiralling. Daniel realises he needs help and goes back to his AA meeting again. A series of events sees Allison turn up at the same meeting. While Daniel tries to support Allison as a fellow addict, he’s convinced was responsible for the crash. She’s equally convinced she’s not. And Ryan is experiencing a spiral of her own, not knowing who to turn to.
Up front, I’ll say that stories of 12-step redemption aren’t really my thing. I struggled with The Basketball Diaries, Rocketman and their ilk. I also struggled with this film, perhaps because apart from ticking off well-worn tropes of the genre, the script is a bit flabby. Particularly in the second act, Braff seems to lose his way a little, not knowing where to take the story. So the film’s stated aim to explore what makes someone “a good person” gets derailed. Some elements lack subtlety (the fact Allison works for a pharmaceutical company but ends up addicted to painkillers, for example); while others drag on. And although I actually didn’t mind it, I suspect many will have issues with the ending. While that ending is closer to real life, it lacks the kind of narrative punch audiences may be expecting.
But credit where due, Braff excels in the characters. His attention to the small details of everyday life, the way people speak and how they react is masterful. So while I didn’t really care for the plot, I found myself caring about the characters, flawed and damaged as they were (and I guess as we all are).
All of that though pales in comparison to the brilliant central performance of Florence Pugh (Don’t Worry, Darling) as Allison. While this is likely to end up as one of those lesser roles on her CV, she commits to it 100%; elevating the material possibly more than it deserves. She’s well paired with Morgan Freeman (Angel Has Fallen), who provides his usual reliably convincing performance as Daniel. Celeste O’Connor (Ghostbusters: Afterlife) adds another layer as the rebellious Ryan. Chinaza Uche (Fear the Walking Dead) exudes charm as Nathan, but his character is largely sidelined after the opening scenes. Look out too for Molly Shannon (Promising Young Woman) and Zoe Lister-Jones (Beau Is Afraid) in cameo roles.
While I had issues with A Good Person, if you’re keen for another journey down the road of addiction and recovery, this could be for you.
David Edwards
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Molly’s Game – movie review
- Fighting with My Family – movie review
- The Comeback Trail – movie review
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television