A One Mann’s Movies review of “A Good Person” (2023).
In having a rant about the general quality of Sky Original films re. “Marlowe“, I said “8 times out of 10, (they) deliver disappointments“. Well, with “A Good Person”, here’s an example that falls into that 20% of good ‘uns.
Pin me to a wall and ask me to name of a top British actress by decade?
- “In their 40’s” I might need to organise a mud-wrestling play-off between Kate Winslet and Olivia Colman (My! The thought of that!).
- “In their 30’s” – easy choice – Carey Mulligan.
- But ask me who I’d pick for “In their 20’s” and the obvious name that comes to my lips is Florence Pugh. WHAT a CV this lady is building up of great roles. (AND winner of the “One Mann’s Movies Best On-screen Orgasm” award for 2022 as well!) A lady conducting herself with the utmost ‘decorum’ in the acting world!
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Allison (Florence Pugh) has life going her way. A successful job as a pharmaceutical salesperson (nice angle) and on the side a talented singer/songwriter, about to be married to her fiancee Nathan (Chinaza Uche). But after a serious traffic accident, Allison’s life changes forever.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC: “Strong language, drug misuse, domestic abuse references”).
Talent:
Starring: Florence Pugh, Morgan Freeman, Chinaza Uche, Celeste O’Connor, Molly Shannon.
Directed by: Zach Braff.
Written by: Zach Braff.
Twitter Handle: #agoodpersonmov.
Acting Royalty from different eras. Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman. (Source: MGM).
“A Good Person” Review:
Positives:
- Florence Pugh certainly doesn’t disappoint here, with a gutsy and heart-wrenching portrayal of a woman plummetting to the very depths of despair, thanks to addiction. I could honestly listen to her reading the telephone directory – just perfect. This movie seems to have had no ‘buzz’ about it, but her role here, although very early in the year, feels Oscar-nomination-worthy to me.
- Also, in his best dramatic role for YEARS, is Morgan Freeman. Yes, his velvety voice feels like a mug of hot chocolate (“I’m hugging you with my eyes” he purrs at one point). But he actually gets to show some range in this one, from hurt to kindness to anger, and he really does it well.
- And I can’t go without flagging up the performance of Celeste O’Connor as the teenager Ryan. Because the young Kenyan-born actress is actually already 22, but your wouldn’t have thought it. I thought it was a terrific performance.
- Zach Braff! J.D. from “Scrubs”! He directs here. But more surprisingly, he also wrote the script, which has a whole load of stand-out moments: many of which made me glow with delight. The film, dealing as it does with the Oxycontin/opiod crisis, makes a nice addendum to the “Dopesick” series on Disney+ (if you’re not watched that with Michael Keaton and Kaitlyn Dever, you REALLY should) and the recent true-life documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed“. In “Dopesick”, we saw a peripheral view of the impact of Oxycontin on Betsy (Kaitlyn Dever). But we never really got properly inside her character. This film has the space to do that, and do that well.
- Florence sings! (Has she done that on other movies? I can’t recall an example). What a sweet voice she has. And, I noted, she actually composed two of the songs on the soundtrack that she sings. A talented lady indeed.
Negatives:
- The movie is 2 hours and 8 minutes long, which is no “John Wick 4” or – God help us – “Babylon“. But it still feels to be about 10 or 15 minutes too long, particularly in a rather flabby middle-reel.
Summary Thoughts on “A Good Person”
This is a really engrossing movie, with two stunning acting performances at its heart. Yes, it takes you through the wringer but at least it spits you out the other end feeling somewhat more uplifted than you did after coming out of “Allelujah“! With a bit more tightening up of its girdle around the middle, this could have landed as an absolute classic.
It’s already difficult to find in cinemas (I had to travel to another region to see it, and then it was in cinema scree 15 of 16!). But as it is a Sky Original, it should shortly be available to stream on that platform at home. Watch out for it… recommended.
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Trailer for “A Good Person”
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phRXBLwcy5I .
Zach Braff, also wrote, directed and starred in Garden State many years ago. Also a very good film, which is based on his life. I haven’t seen Zach direct since then; always felt there’s a lot more to him than Scrubs since watching Garden State.
Thanks for that. Not seen “Garden State”, but will watch out for it on streaming. Thanks.