REVIEW: EVERYBODY'S FINE

I loved this film. Director Kirk Jones' comedy-drama Everybody's Fine features an outstanding ensemble cast of Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell. Jones' short but accomplished body of work as a director also includes the well-received Nanny McPhee. De Niro plays Frank Goode, a recently widowed father of four. Frank decides to go on a surprise road trip to connect with his emotionally estranged children, but finds along the way that things might not be as well with them as he had been led to believe by his wife.

We meet Amy (Kate Beckinsale), who is a very successful Marketing Executive. Upon arriving at Amy's home, Frank realizes that there is much tension between herself, her husband and son. We then meet Robert (Sam Rockwell) whom Frank thought was an Orchestra Conductor but turns out to be a Percussionist. Lastly, we are introduced to Rosie (Drew Barrymore) who claims to be a successful dancer in Las Vegas, living in a luxurious suite. Frank soon finds out there may be more than meets the eye with her.

Together Amy, Robert and Rosie come together to hide a secret about their brother David (Austin Lysy) from their father. David is unreachable after Frank makes an attempt to reconnect with him. Finally, the story unfolds when he is united together with his children due to an unforeseen crisis. We learn that the reason how Frank's children are pressured to conceal the truth from him for fear of disappointing him, as he had always held high expectations for his children. As it often turns out on life, dreams don't always amount to reality and often we make it by knowing that we are content on our own terms. Perhaps this is the biggest flaw with Everybody's Fine - we connect so much with De Niro in his portrayal of Frank as a loving father that there seems to be somewhat of a disrepancy with his children's perception of him as a demanding father. I simply don't see why it is that his children were so compelled to hide the truth from him and this is perhaps due to a lack of development in Jones' script.


The film is full of touching moments and I was floored by De Niro's compelling performance, tearing up a few times. Every line and nuanced moment De Niro delivers is strong; he lives and breathes what Frank Goode is truly about and we feel absolutely terrible for him knowing that his children choose to keep him at a distance. Beckinsale, Rockwell and Barrymore all give honest performances and despite their character flaws, they are likeable and relatable. Everybody's Fine asks the question of whether or not it is sometimes easier to just lie for simplicity's sake even when things aren't always fine. By the end of it all, you'll walk away understanding the liberation of honesty. There definitely won't be much Oscar buzz for this one, but it is definitely worth a watch as long as you go armed with a package of Kleenex. Miramax Films' Everybody's Fine is now in wide release. Grade: B+