A Good Person

Not to be confused with Good Person.
A Good Person
Theatrical release poster
Directed byZach Braff
Written byZach Braff
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMauro Fiore
Edited byDan Schalk
Music byBryce Dessner
Production
companies
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
Release dates
  • March 8, 2023 (2023-03-08) (The Ham Yard Hotel, London)
  • March 24, 2023 (2023-03-24) (United States)
Running time
129 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3.1 million[2][3]

A Good Person is a 2023 American drama film written, directed, and produced by Zach Braff. The film stars Florence Pugh, Morgan Freeman, Celeste O'Connor, Molly Shannon, and Chinaza Uche.

A Good Person was released in the United States on a limited theatrical release on March 24, 2023, before a wide expansion on March 31, 2023, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film received a mixed response from critics.

Plot

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Allison is an aspiring musician, engaged to her high school boyfriend, Nathan. The day following their engagement party, Allison gets into a car accident while driving with her eyes off the road, killing Nathan's sister Molly and Molly's husband, and sustains critical injuries.

One year later, dealing with severe depression and unable to deal with her guilt, Allison lives with her mother, Diane, who attempts to curb her daughter's addiction to pain pills. Meanwhile, Nathan and Molly's ex-cop father, Daniel, is taking care of his granddaughter, Ryan, who is still processing the loss of her parents.

After failing to get drugs illicitly from her friend, Becka, and after a humiliating encounter with two high school acquaintances that leads her into a downward spiral, Allison joins an AA group. There, she unexpectedly encounters Daniel, who reveals in a meeting that his drinking resulted in repeated blackouts where he wouldn't remember his violent behavior, and that on one such occasion, he destroyed the hearing in Nathan's ear. Ryan, in her turn, is bullied for her status as an orphan and in trouble for her behavior.

Allison meets Daniel at his house, and while leaving, she is confronted by Ryan about Allison's direct responsibility for her parents’ deaths. Allison eventually relapses. Ryan invites her, as well as Nathan and his new paralegal girlfriend, to a concert. Allison is devastated at what she perceives as a cruel act by Ryan and accompanies her to an after-party where she relapses again. Allison is unable to protect Ryan from being taken advantage of in a back room, but Daniel arrives drunk and puts an end to it, threatening Ryan’s rapist with a handgun. During the altercation, Nathan steps in front of the gun and talks his father down from his relapsed state. Outside, Daniel confesses that he considered Allison a test from God, but now realizes she's a waste and insults her before hailing a cab.

After accepting her role in the accident, Allison is able to move toward recovery and checks herself into a rehab centre. A year later, Allison is writing songs again, and she and Nathan reacquaint themselves. Daniel passes away, leaving Ryan in Nathan's care until she leaves for college, and Allison attends the funeral where she discovers Daniel's letter to her explaining his thoughts and that the Latin translation of his tattoo "amor fati" is "to love one's fate". After the wake, Ryan and Allison embrace sitting on the front door stoop.

Cast

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Other appearances include Drew Gehling as Max, Jessie Mueller as Sandra Keen, Shirley Rumierk as Dr. Gonzalez, Cary Brothers as himself, Charlene Kaye as bassist, and Jackie Hoffman as Belinda.

Production

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Zach Braff at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2010
Writer, director, and producer Zach Braff

On February 26, 2021, it was reported Zach Braff would write and direct A Good Person, a drama starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman.[4] By March 2021, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) was in negotiations to acquire the rights to the film in territories including North and Latin America, Scandinavia, Russia, Eastern Europe, China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam in a multimillion-dollar deal.[5] In September 2021, it was confirmed MGM would be producing and distributing the film, with Molly Shannon joining the cast, and Braff and Pugh set to produce.[6]

In July 2021, when asked if he would go back to directing feature films, Braff said "I'd like to do more. I just kind of, for better, for worse, I just go where the wind takes me ... and then the pandemic happened and I wrote this screenplay. And then that came together with Florence [Pugh] and Morgan Freeman".[7] Principal photography began in October 2021, with Celeste O'Connor,[8] Zoe Lister-Jones,[9] and Chinaza Uche joining the cast.[10] In November 2021, filming took place at Columbia High School, Braff's alma mater, in Maplewood, New Jersey.[11]

Music

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Main article: A Good Person (soundtrack)

Release

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It was released on limited release on March 24, 2023, with wide expansion from March 31, 2023.[12] The film had its red carpet premiere at the Ham Yard Hotel in London on March 8, 2023.[13] The film was released on Blu-ray on May 30.[14]

Reception

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Box office

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A Good Person made $2.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $890,791 around the rest of the world, grossing a worldwide total of $3.1 million.[2][3]

In limited release, the film grossed $832,007 at the box office from 530 theatres, finishing in 12th place.[15] The film had a wide expansion on March 31 alongside Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, A Thousand and One and His Only Son, and grossed $510,210 at the box office, expanding 687 theatres and finishing 14th place beaten up by Champions (2023) (in a record of $700,000).[16][17]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 58% of 118 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Busy, baggy, and schmaltzy, A Good Person proves that the best of intentions and terrific performances can sometimes add up to a movie that's merely fine."[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 50 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[19]

Recognition

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Cary Brothers and Scott Effman received a nomination for Best Original Song in an Independent Film at the 14th Hollywood Music in Media Awards.[20] Chinaza Uche was nominated for a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in a Film.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b "A Good Person (15)". BBFC. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "A Good Person (2023)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "A Good Person (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  4. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (February 26, 2021). "Florence Pugh & Morgan Freeman To Star In Zach Braff-Directed A Good Person, Rocket Science & CAA Launch Sales — EFM". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  5. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (March 24, 2021). "MGM Nearing Deal For North American & Key Int'l Rights To Zach Braff's Good Person With Florence Pugh & Morgan Freeman". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  6. ^ Kroll, Justin (September 22, 2021). "Molly Shannon Joins Florence Pugh And Morgan Freeman in Zach Braff's A Good Person At MGM". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  7. ^ Ford, Rebecca (July 26, 2021). "Zach Braff's Secret to Filming Those Ted Lasso Soccer Scenes". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  8. ^ Jackson, Angelique (October 25, 2021). "Celeste O'Connor Joins Florence Pugh, Morgan Freeman, Molly Shannon in Zach Braff's A Good Person at MGM (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  9. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 25, 2021). "Zoe Lister-Jones Joins Zach Braff's A Good Person At MGM". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  10. ^ Grobar, Matt (October 28, 2021). "Chinaza Uche Joins Zach Braff's MGM Drama A Good Person". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  11. ^ "Zach Braff, Morgan Freeman, Florence Pugh Film A Good Person at Columbia High School". The Village Green of Maplewood and South Orange. November 6, 2021. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  12. ^ Zhan, Jennifer (December 15, 2022). "Florence Pugh Goes Off the Rails in the Trailer for A Good Person". Vulture. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  13. ^ Edmonds, Lizzie (March 22, 2023). "Florence Pugh: "I insisted I cut my own hair in A Good Person"". Evening Standard. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  14. ^ "A Good Person Blu-ray Disc Details". Hi-Def Digest. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  15. ^ "Domestic 2023 Weekend 12". BoxOfficeMojo. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  16. ^ "Domestic 2023 Weekend 13". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  17. ^ "Weekend Box Office: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Rolls a First Place Opening". Box Office Pro. April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  18. ^ "A Good Person". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  19. ^ "A Good Person". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  20. ^ "2023 HMMA Nominations".
  21. ^ "BAFTA Scotland Awards 2023: Full List of Nominations". October 9, 2023.
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