Writer-director James Edward Holley’s The Good Fight is the story of a man whose personal and professional life unravels after years of denial, bad decisions, and broken promises. It takes him through a crisis and forces him to face accountability to the people around him, who try to pull him back from the edge.
After a night of drinking with his friends, hard-working family man Luke O’Connor (Ashley Stinnett) is arrested for his second DUI in a short period of time. This puts more strain on his already troubled marriage to Jennifer (Nora Ankrom). He says it was a mistake that happened twice and insists he’s not an alcoholic. The argument ends when Luke blames Jennifer for pushing him to drink because he has to work so hard to maintain her current lifestyle. That was the wrong thing to say.
As a favor to their mutual friend and owner of the local boxing gym, Chief (James Edward Holley), Luke meets defense attorney Michael Crawford (John Schneider). Michael tells Luke that his way of collecting DUIs and fighting in bars will soon land him in jail, and that maybe jail might be what he needs for a wake-up call. Low on patience, Michael lays out conditions for representing him. He must go to counseling, stop driving, and come to work on time. At the same time, Chief, who has some medical issues that only a few people know about, plans to give Luke a future by handing over the boxing gym to him—but not in this condition.
“This is his last shot to take their help, face his problems, and make the changes needed.”
Instead of taking the lifeline, Luke drinks at home, then drives himself to a bar where a fight puts him back in the slammer, making Michael and Chief lose even more trust in him. When he gets home from jail, Luke walks right into an intervention put together by Jennifer, Michael, Chief, and others who still care enough to help him. They say this is his last shot to take their help, face his problem, and make the changes needed if he wants any hope of saving his family, his career, and his future.
The Good Fight is essentially a faith-based film about a former frat boy who grew up, started a family, but never became an adult. Secular versions of this story tend to get really dark; here, Holley pushes the boundaries of a PG movie. Its goal is a noble one. More people struggle with alcohol than not, and the filmmaker tells an uplifting story with light at the end of the tunnel. Honestly, that’s a good thing.
The movie tellss a solid story, walking us through the battle alcoholics fight with themselves to prove they have everything under control. Ashley Stinnett anchors the film as Luke O’Connor. He nails the character arc, and Nora Ankrom is the perfect counterbalance as Luke’s wife, Jennifer. John Schneider feels natural as the man who delivers tough love to our hero.
Ultimately, The Good Fight says there’s no pit deep enough that God can’t pull you out. While its message is directed toward the one in trouble, Holley’s tale makes a great resource for friends and family of alcoholics, wondering what options they have and what they can do to help in these situations.
"…there's no pit deep enough that God can't pull you out."
