Zach Braff is right: Florence Pugh is one of the greatest actresses of her generation.
And for her he wrote the role of Ally (Florence Pugh), a young woman of 26 who is about to marry Nathan (Chinaza Uche). This true fairytale ends when Ally is involved in a serious car accident that kills her future brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Ryan’s (Celeste O’Connor) parents.
A year later, Ally is addicted to OxyContin that her mom (Molly Shannon, who I can never take seriously) is trying to wean her. As Ally hits rock bottom, she decides to join an AA group and meets Daniel (Morgan Freeman in a more interesting role than his recent too-fast performances), Nathan’s father, who blames her for the accident, face-to-face.
Opioid addiction isn’t a new subject (I recommend the excellent Dopesick series on Disney+ on the subject), but Florence Pugh infuses her character as Ally with raw emotion that serves the sometimes convoluted scenario. For example, the actress is able to beg pills from a friend, order two early morning tequilas, and then recount her accident during an AA meeting with a sincerity that makes people cry.
Yes, Zach Braff is synonymous with the excellent Garden State (2004) and it’s difficult, if not impossible, not to think about it before A Good Person. Not that the films are similar, but the writer-director has this rare ability to make his characters’ emotions tangible for viewers. Yes, we shed tears before certain particularly poignant scenes in this sensitive drama, and yes, the man is a supposedly emotional romantic.
Beyond that cinematic sentimentality, A Good Person is worth it for Ally’s course, Daniel’s philosophical reflections before his electric train, and that message of hope… despite everything.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5