A Good Person – Film Review

Allison is a young woman with a wonderful fiance, a blossoming career, and supportive family and friends. However, her world crumbles in the blink of an eye when she survives an unimaginable tragedy, emerging from recovery with an opioid addiction and unresolved grief. In the following years, she forms an unlikely friendship with her would-be father-in-law that gives her a fighting chance to put her life back together and move forward.

It’s been a good long while since I watched a movie as emotionally layered and moving as Zach Braff‘s A Good Person, which takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride of intense emotions, thoughts, feelings, and more in its two hour running time. It’s one of those movies that I truly feel may change people’s lives by watching it.

The film centers around an addict portrayed by Florence Pugh, but even if you can’t relate to her situation, you’ll find yourself relating to something in the movie, guaranteed. Braff’s script is razor-sharp and it allows each and every single one of its characters to flourish and grow as people.

It’s one of the most impressive scripts I’ve seen in ages if I’m being completely honest. In certain films similar in tone and concept, characters will often stay the same throughout most of the movie but not in A Good Person. Pugh’s character Allison is, as the title suggests, a good person.

But even though that may be so, she thinks that she’s the opposite. While driving in a car with her soon-to-be parents-in-law, she checks her phone’s GPS quickly which ends up proving fatal, as they all get into an accident that claims the parents-in-law’s lives. Allison hates herself after this incident and starts to use.

However, it’s clear that the people who are in her life care about her tremendously, but none more so than Morgan Freeman‘s Daniel, who wants to help her out by any means necessary which isn’t always the easiest task for him because he’s also looking after young Ryan.

He’s got a lot on his plate, obviously, but he still makes the time for Allison to let her know that no matter how tough things get, she can always rely on him. Allison’s journey in this movie is one of the most layered and emotionally complex I’ve seen in quite some time.

You want her to get better more than anything but you also understand that it’s going to be extremely difficult. And sometimes just when things are seeming to get better, one thing occurs that manages to send Allison back into a spiral and it’s truly heartbreaking to watch.

Pugh has become my all-time favorite actress ever since watching her in Ari Aster‘s masterful Midsommar a few years ago, and I’ve never been let down by her since. A Good Person is no exception. As a matter of fact, her performance here is easily one of her best. There’s one scene with her character at therapy that’s truly devastating to watch and it’s all thanks to Pugh’s incredible work.

Freeman also delivers one of the best performances of his career here as well, in the role of Daniel. This character is supposed to be someone who’s caring, loving, and warm. The kind of guy that by simply looking at him, you get a good, wholesome feeling from. So, of course, who better to cast than Freeman? The chemistry he has with Pugh is also quite terrific.

This is by far one of the best movies of the year and it’s one that you should definitely check out if you managed to have missed it in theatres. It will make you laugh, cry, and feel inspired and when a movie is special enough to take you on that kind of journey, it’s remarkably special.

An emotionally layered script, brilliant direction, and career-best performances from Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman make A Good Person one of the best movies of the year.