Everybody's Fine

I wasn't planning on seeing this movie until I read some of the other IMDb reviews--then I reconsidered because one of the reviewers said it would be more meaningful to older folks with adult children. Glad I did. It's a little gem. It's more like a European film really, where nothing much happens (action-wise) but the characters are so well-drawn. Or, to put it another way, it's like reading a novel by Anne Tyler. I did think of ABOUT SCHMIDT during this movie--similar theme of a recent widower on a road-trip of self-discovery--but only to reflect on DeNiro's more subtle characterization. The movie is very well cast as a whole and all the acting, particularly from the child actors, is very natural and unaffected.

I saw this movie last night in a crowded theatre with persons of varying ages. At the conclusion of the film, I noticed smiles and tears in the eyes of the older viewers and some boredom and rush to leave in the younger ones. This is a movie for parents and will probably not appeal much to the under 25 set.

That said, this is a beautiful, heart-felt, and sometimes painful story of a father recognizing and coming to grips with the reality of his parenting and his lack of control over his children's lives. It is about truth and how we try to spare others pain or discomfort. It is about how many parents still see their grown up children as small children who we are responsible for.

While the supporting cast turn in good performances, this is Robert DeNiro's movie. It is his best performance since Awakenings (he deserved that Oscar, and not just the nomination).

I suspect that this film will get a lot of nominations, but don't think it will win many awards. I base that on the idea that they younger voters have not yet been in the shoes of the older ones and will not be fully able to appreciate the character or his growth and understanding.

Everybody's Fine (2009)

*** (out of 4)

Robert DeNiro plays a widower who grows tired of his four children making excuses for not coming to see him so he disregards his doctor's orders and takes a trip to visit all four. Along the way he starts to think about their childhood and where their lives are at now. I remember when THIS BOYS LIFE was released it featured a trailer that would make you think you were walking into one of the greatest family films ever made even though the actual film was a dark one about child abuse. I mention that because this film is pretty much the same effect as the poster, TV ads and trailer makes you think that you're in for a good time but the film is actually an incredibly depressing affair but it finally gives star DeNiro a true character and he does great work with it. Now, I'm not one of those who thinks DeNiro has wasted one performance after another for the past twenty years. I think he's given several very good performances even though many of the characters weren't the strongest items for an actor of his range. The performance here is downright terrific and truly deserves to be called that "old DeNiro" style. DeNiro doesn't need words to show what his character is feeling and he perfectly brings to life this rather sad character who is smart enough to know there's a lot more going on with his children then they're willing to tell him. I found DeNiro to be perfect and one would hope he'd get some Oscar consideration but that probably won't happen considering how the film did at the box office (but I would ask why that should matter). DeNiro gets to interact with various characters and the amount of life he brings this character will make one remember the type of work he was turning in on a consistent basis years ago. I won't ruin DeNiro's big scene towards the end but it's certainly very overwhelming. The supporting cast has Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell playing the children and they all give fine performances and mix with DeNiro very well. I do wish the actual film would have been a bit stronger because it's extremely depressing but at times I felt the film was holding back. I really can't explain what but it just never really felt like a full movie and at times there were some plot details that were a tad bit over dramatic and other times that the film pushes too hard to get its point across. While the film does have its share of problems, the real reason for anyone to watch this is for the return of DeNiro and that alone makes this worth seeing. Again, not the happiest film out there but at least we get to see DeNiro playing his best character in quite a while.

Once the trailer hit the internet, I knew I was going to see this movie. Nostalgia, De Niro and Barrymore were the primary reasons. Of those reasons, Nostalgia and De Niro were most responsible for the big lump in my throat and regret that I had no Kleenex.

We go to movies to either escape reality or simply live in fantasy, don't we? I have to say, so much reality existed in this movie, escapism and fantasy seemed totally lost. The subtleties of everyday life can mean so much in retrospect. Every little thing that we do, no matter its importance, can come back and haunt us. That, surprisingly, is what makes this movie so real and endearing.

Nothing about Everybody's Fine is lacking if you can find yourself or someone you know in this movie. The beauty of it is, you will find someone you know. If you haven't tricked yourself into thinking this might be like Christmas Vacation or Planes, Trains and Automobiles, then I hope you can appreciate its evenly paced, nostalgia filled beauty.

De Niro has outdone himself with this simple heart-filled "grown family" film. I can truthfully say I liked him more in this than anything else he has done, although I also believe he probably didn't have to dig too deep into his soul to be Frank Goode. I will be surprised if he has not turned the heads and hearts of those who can nominate him for an Oscar. While all the characters were easy to relate to, this movie was more about Frank Goode's journey from state to state and through life.

Believe me, Everybody's Fine is more than just fine.

9/10 and one giant hug for everyone involved in making this beautiful film.

Went to a screening of this film today, and I had decided not to watch the trailer, or read anything about the movie before. Looking at the poster, I was expecting a Christmas-y comedy or something like that. I was totally wrong (and don't get me wrong this is definitely not a bad thing for the movie!) Just don't expect a laugh out loud comedy. It did have it's funny moments though, and those were great. The movie made me feel really really bad for the De Niro character, and through the whole thing just made me want to go give him a big hug LOL. De Niro's performance was great and made you feel what that character was feeling at that time. The other performances were also fairly good. All in all, a good movie as long as you are not expecting a straight out comedy! I would definitely recommend seeing this one when it comes out in theaters.