NOW IN THEATERS! Let’s be real. Many stories have been told about Alcoholics Anonymous and its many derivations into narcotics, abuse, and other addictions (There’s even a film about a 12-step program for racism). But what kind of story do you get when you team up Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman in Zach Braff’s A Good Person?
Pugh plays Allison, a woman on top of the world. She’s about to marry the love of her life, Nathan (Chinaza Uche), and finally move to the big city on this strong foundation of love.
Everything changes in a moment when Allison is with her soon-to-be sister-in-law Molly (Nichelle Hines) to try on wedding dresses. As the distracted Allison glances down at her phone’s map app, a truck rolls out onto the highway, and in the accident, Allison is severely injured, and Molly is dead.
Cut to a year later, Nathan has moved on with a new love, and Allison is living as a recluse in her mother Diane’s (Molly Shannon) home. Allison refuses to leave, and in a fit of rage, Diane throws the last remaining prescription of oxycontin down the toilet. Allison then puts herself in some incredibly awkward situations to get her hands on more oxy.
Realizing that she’s a junkie, Allison attends the local church’s NA meeting. The moment she steps into the room, she sees Nathan and Molly’s father, Daniel (Morgan Freeman), and the bolts. Daniel chases her down and tells her she’s meant to be here.
“…Nathan has moved on…and Allison is living as a recluse in her [mother’s] home.”
Again, we’ve seen this story before, but now add Zach Braff, Florence Pugh, and Morgan Freeman, and this well-worn theme takes on some nuance we’ve not seen before. If you study storytelling and screenwriting, you know exactly where the story is headed. Allison and Daniel work together through Allison’s addiction while revealing some of the essential tenants of the twelve-step process. As things seem to go well for Allison, you know it all has to come crashing down by the third act.
I’m not so sure this film would have worked with lessor actors than Pugh and Freeman. Veteran actors find ways of making schmaltzy storylines feel less schmaltzy and preachy moments less preachy. Florence Pugh established the perfect yet slightly annoying person at the start as Nathan’s fiance. This makes the crash to the bottom so profound, and Pugh empathetically becomes that downtrodden addict fighting her way to that all-too-elusive sobriety. She’s so good. It’s almost as if the role was written for her.
On the other hand, Morgan Freeman plays the most challenging character in the film, especially for audiences. As Daniel, he’s forced to place himself in a position of forgiveness toward Allison while, at the same time, being a very flawed man in need of forgiveness himself.
This idea of forgiveness is, to me, the heart of A Good Person, and why I highly recommend the film. Unfortunately, we live in a world today that would rather cancel than forgive. A world that would rather assist in a person’s downfall and write any person off for being a flawed human being. It paints a true picture of the world today as we are all broken people (often by our own choices) in search of some form of salvation in whatever form or definition you want to give it.
Not sure if anyone wants to hear this, but A Good Person is a simple yet complex drama with the intention of bringing some good to this world. I’m up for any film that’s willing to reach out into the audience and offer some empathy and hope.
