A Good Person – A Familiar Story Lifted by an Acting Showcase

Florence Pugh is a good person but when it comes to A Good Person, that title is more aspirational than literal. This redemption story proved to be another chance for her to showcase her range, resulting in a career-best performance. Whether or not this performance will be recognized remains to be seen, she elevates the film to a level it definitely would not have reached if not for her. Meanwhile, the film also sees Morgan Freeman recover from a subpar run of films with his best performance in a very long time. Their dynamic is the indisputable best part of the film; however, it does take some time to get going while the story that surrounded them was arguably not nearly as strong. A typical fall and rise story, there is very little in the way of surprises to be had. That being said, it isn’t necessarily the worst thing as the film takes those familiar themes and makes a compelling emotional story out of it. Where it falters is how it tries to fit in one too many themes for audiences to latch on to and fails to develop them in a satisfying enough way.

A Good Person follows Allison (Pugh), a woman whose promising life fell apart after a deadly car accident for which she was responsible. Living with the guilt and remorse of being the sole survivor, she distanced herself from her friends and fiancé Nathan (Chinaza Uche). After a crash that killed her brother and sister-in-law, she turned to opioids to help her recover from the injuries she sustained in the accident. As is often the case with opioids, that use became an addiction. Now a year later and living with her single mother Diane (Molly Shannon), Allison found herself hitting rock bottom and struggling to find her next fix to take away her pain. Looking to move on and move forward, all she needed was some direction and she eventually found it in a Vietnam war veteran named Daniel (Freeman) who just happened to be Nathan’s father. Estranged from Nathan, the two had a complicated relationship that was made even more complicated when he was left to raise his granddaughter and Nathan’s niece Ryan (O’Connor). Raising Ryan was a second chance for Daniel, however, his inexperience showed as he was often out of his element but that dynamic made for some levity.

Still holding resentment towards Allison, Daniel, struggling with his own issues with alcohol, saw a woman in need of help. As the two spent more time together, he supported her. All things considered, going to meeting was one thing, taking her recovery seriously was another. While they were fun to watch, Daniel was not going to take any flack from anyone. Finding a sponsor named Simone (Zoe Lister-Jones), Allison was taking is seriously though she still had her demons and being back with some of the family she left behind made for some awkwardness and tension and brought back the trauma from the accident. Moving on from her past, her addiction was the biggest hurdle towards that goal. However, regardless of how well she may or may not have been doing, her role in the crash loomed over her. She had her ups and downs but as much as it was about moving on, Allison needed to take responsibility for what happened instead of suppressing her pain and repressing the truth with drugs. At the end of the day, a redemption story doesn’t work without its central character arc and for that, the film delivers an emotional one that hits enough of the right notes in spite of treading some familiar ground.

The heart of that strong emotional arc was the aforementioned career-best performance from Pugh as Allison. Showing off her range, she grabs a hold of audiences and does not let go. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, she brings vulnerability and a frantic energy with a likability and a flawed relatability that grounds the story with some humanity. She’s may not be perfect by any means but one can’t help but root for her. Freeman was a subtle force as Daniel, a man weathered by regret and addiction trying to make the best out of the time he had left. Hiding those layers of pain under a charming façade, he possesses the same power to pull audiences in with his grace and presence. The chemistry between Pugh and Freeman was the best part of the film once the story got going, however, the story could have deeper with Allison and Daniel.

Ultimately, A Good Person is an acting showcase that makes the most out of a strong emotional yet familiar story that can’t quite reach its level.

still courtesy of Warner Bros.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.