Mila Kunis and Glenn Close shine together in the story of a druggie trying clean herself.

Mila Kunis gives her best performance on film since the first “Bad Moms” in 2016. But “Four Good Days” isn’t a comedy; it’s a drama based on a true mother-daughter story about a junkie trying and failing to get better. In this movie, Kunis excels as Molly, who shows up at her mother Deb’s (Glenn Close) doorsteps, asking for help. She looks like a mess, especially since she loses her top teeth. Since Molly stole her heirlooms, credit cards, and money, among other things, Deb doesn’t trust her, and she sleeps outside her house.

The next morning, she agrees to take her to a clinic to be detoxed. They both receive word from the doctor about a shot that could prevent any more drugs from entering her system, that is, of course, if she stays clean for a few days. That’s when Deb agrees to let Molly in her home again.

When we first meet Deb, she has more balls than either Jack Kilmer in “Body Brokers” or Gabriel Basso in “Hillbilly Elegy” (which also starred Close if you recall), because of the ways she tells her daughter to not come back until she gets better. Throughout this movie, she has to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid. And we see how their relationship resulted in Molly’s drug addictions. It’s not always clear, but it does make a point about how one thing can leads to another.

The movie’s cast also features Stephen Root as Deb’s current husband, who tells her she’s doing the right thing by not letting Molly in at first; and Joshua Leonard comes in as Molly’s ex-husband, who brings their kids over to visit.

Kunis and Close both have the kind of chemistry I looked for and missed from Close and Amy Adams in “Hillbilly Elegy.” Even if we don’t see the full scope or we can guess some of its outcomes, “Four Good Days” is a much better film than that. This film is one of the entertaining examples about druggies trying to clean themselves. Can we trust this girl to do so? We hope so, as we begin to watch it. Kunis convinces us of her notions by morphing with the mind and body of a junkie, while Close explodes with great intensity.

The movie is never mean-spirited or negative, instead, it uses pure realism and support to keep the audience involved. Every step of the way, we’re sitting in our seats rooting for Molly to get better, and to regain her love with her mother. And the fact that it’s based on a true story that worked out for the best, not to give anything away, it really has enough spirit.

Kudos to writer/director Rodrigo Gracia (who collaborated with Close on “Albert Nobbs” and “Nine Lives”) and co-writer Eli Saslow for bringing these two actresses and their characters together. “Four Good Days” is a good movie about bad problems being dealt with by good people.

Categories: Drama