A Good Man is Hard To Find

Author(s): K. Scarlett (GA)
A Good Man is Hard to Find

Directed by Bennett Miller
Written by Dan Futterman
Based Upon the short story by Flannery O'Connor

Main Cast

Shirley Maclaine as The Grandmother
Patrick Wilson as Bailey
Melanie Lynskey as The Mother
Michael Shannon as The Misfit
Ty Simpkins as John Wesley
Heidi Hayes as June Star
Jonah Hill as Hiram
Lukas Haas as Bobby Lee

Tagline: "The grandmother didn't want to go to Florida..."

Synopsis:

And with these simple words, our story begins. Bailey simply wants to take his family for a nice drive down to Florida for some sight seeing, despite the protests of his mother, who insists they go to Tennessee instead. Why? Because a violent criminal who goes by the name of "The Misfit" has just escaped from the Federal Penitentiary and is rumored to be heading down to Florida, according to the newspaper. "I wouldn't take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn't answer to my conscience as it is..."

The family sets off on their trip. Bailey, the grandmother, the mother, the baby, and Bailey's spoiled, ill-mannered children John Wesley and June Star, who seem to take great pleasure in tormenting their ornery grandmother in the backseat. Meanwhile, the Misfit has in fact escaped from the Federal Penitentiary, meeting up with his misfit friends, Hiram and Bobby Lee, surely up to no good as they head down Florida way. Certainly no need for Bailey and his family to worry, though. After all, Florida's a very big state...right?

What starts off as a relaxing road trip for a Georgian family turns into a simple, quiet, yet profoundly meditative story about the role of destiny and circumstance in our lives. How one simple mistake can lead to a car accident accident. And how a few simple words, spoken without forethought, can seal our fate...


What the Press would say:

Director-writer team Bennett Miller and Dan Futterman follow-up their 2005 critically acclaimed Capote with yet another quiet examination of melancholy Americana. This time, they breathe new life into A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O'Connor's classic short story about fate and consequences. Dan Futterman's expertly crafted screenplay expands upon O'Connor's effective, but terse narrative, adding just the right elements to flesh the piece into a feature length film of undeniable profundity. Much like in Capote, Gord Peterson's meticulously careful art direction expertly recreates the time and place. This time, it's a road trip through the sleepy south, aided by Adam Kimmel's beautiful cinematography. The imagery of Southern Gothic, captured so beautifully in the words of many of Flannery O'Connor's works are transferred perfectly from page to screen in this wonderful re-telling of a story that does not lend itself well to film adaptation. The film's final scenes mirror the bleakness and finality of that of the short story in a way that does the late O'Connor justice.

Patrick Wilson and Shirley Maclaine give incredibly nuanced and often times funny performances as the squabbling mother and son, arguing over every detail of the trip. But it is Michael Shannon who is the best in show here, giving a focused performance that is at once humorous and terrifying. In the film's final moments, there is an important, yet ambiguous interchange between the Misfit and the Grandmother—one whose meaning will be discussed for years to come. It is one of the singular scenes in American cinema this year—amazingly acted, and (if there's any justice) it will certainly earn Maclaine and Shannon Oscar nominations, if not wins. A Good Man is Hard to Find moves to the front and center for every single film award out there, and will leave even the most stone-faced viewers shaken, contemplative and justifiably haunted.

FYC:

Best Motion Picture
Best Achievement in Direction: Bennett Miller
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Patrick Wilson
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Shirley Maclaine
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Michael Shannon
Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson