EXCLUSIVE: Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman Give Standout Performances in “A Good Person”
Grief affects everyone in different ways. In Zach Braff’s new film, A Good Person, the audience watches how grief can affect two people in very different and life changing ways. In A Good Person, Allison (Florence Pugh) has everything. A good job, a handsome fiancé Nathan (Chinaza Uche), and great friends. Everything is perfect, until it isn’t. When Allison is involved in a tragic accident her whole life is turned upside down. With no idea on how to handle her grief, Allison becomes withdrawn from her fiancé, her job, and seeks relief in opioid pills. In hopes of battling her way out of her addiction, Allison attends an AA meeting, where she comes face to face with her could have been father-in-law, Daniel (Morgan Freeman). A recovering addict himself, the two strike up an unexpected friendship and learn things about themselves they didn’t see coming. But, when Allison is tested in ways she never expected, will she finally accept the grief she is trying so desperately to run from, or will she lose the battle to the addiction that is threatening to take over her life.
Written and directed by Braff, the story is told in an extremely honest way. He doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to the struggles Allison is facing nor does he shy away from ever mounting tension between Allison and Daniel. He spends little to no time on filler scenes, instead creates montages that help reveal the point he is trying to make. While using music, sung beautifully by Pugh, to help elevate the message he is trying to convey. However, for a film about grief and addiction, I was expecting it to be extremely dramatic, but it’s not. Braff takes pieces that could have been extremely dramatic and cushions them with funny one-liners.
The film is led by wonderful performances by Pugh and Freeman. Pugh easily brings to life the two different sides of Allison audiences get to see in the film. But, it is the scenes where we are watching Allison completely fall apart that show how talented of an actress Pugh is. Freeman, on the other hand, will remind audiences why they love watching him work. He has an enate ability to elevate not only every scene he is, but elevate other characters’ performances as well. He has chemistry will everyone. Whether it be dramatic scenes between him and Pugh’s Allison or scenes with his on screen granddaughter, Ryan (Celeste O’Connor), you can’t help but be in awe.
O’Connor is the perfect counterbalance to Freeman’s Daniel, allowing the actor to show off his funny side in the overall dramatic movie. And, Molly Shannon, who plays Allison’s mom, gives a fantastic dramatic, yet comedic at times, performance.
Even with the outstanding performances, the story may not be enough for audiences to see it in theaters. The story of addiction is a forefront in so many people’s lives that it raises the question, do audiences really want to sit in a theater for two hours and watch something that is already taking place in their lives. With it’s all too real performances and hard-hitting scenes, it might be too much for people. I suggest, if you do want to see the film, wait until it is out On Demand or on streaming. This way, you can watch it from the comfort of your own home, and if it gets to be too much, you can pause it and save it for a later day.
Grade: B