It seems like Zach Braff has a ten year cycle of taking the time to do one of his own movies, when he’s both writing and directing. Garden State, his first one from 2004, is somewhere in my Top 100 of all time; it speaks so much to my heart, with music from my childhood, and the “going back to my little city” vibe that I do myself every once in a while.
Wish I Was Here was on my backlog for a while, and I finally watched it, although it’s nothing even remotely close to his first flick. Honestly, it’s kind of a mess, especially being all over the place from a directing perspective, so not a great credit for Braff. The only thing that saves the movie is the typical Zach Braff heart-and-soul that I can feel all over it, and that makes it likable at least. But likable, as an ugly little dog that I wish the best for.
And after this one did I see that there’s a new movie he did just last year, which totally went past me. Maybe because he was not playing in it, so his face didn’t jump at me from a poster. Anyways, A Good Person is a strong one. It’s personal, intimate, soul-crushing but also heart-warming, with absolutely amazing acting all over. After the series of “idiotic old man comedies” done by Morgan Freeman, this one brings him justice; it’s a fantastic role played well. And Florence Pugh is just close to being my favorite actress in the past ~five years, so she’s brilliant like what I’d expect.
A Good Person also fits into a line of movies I’ve watched this year, all on the topic of someone battling with addiction and trying to overcome some past tragedy. Films like The Way Back and Half Nelson were beautiful gems I discovered with this theme.
