Everybody’s Fine, But This Movie Is A Bore

It’s hard to not love Robert DeNiro in any movie; whether he’s a member of a crime family as in The Godfather (Part 2), a concerned father struggling to keep his son away from crime, as seen in a Bronx Tale, or even a vengeful father shark as heard in a Shark Tale. In whichever role he plays, DeNiro always manages to bring both magnetism and charm to his character… which is why it is so befuddling that his latest film, Everybody’s Fine, manages to somehow lack both.

In Everybody’s Fine Robert DeNiro stars as Frank Goode, a widower who tries to gather his four children home for a visit, the first since their mother’s death. As the movie opens we see DeNiro preparing for the children’s visit. He goes to the grocery store in order to stock up, telling everyone he speaks to of his children’s impending arrival. This is important to him. So, of course, by the time he gets home all of his children have bailed on him.

He’s sad for a while… (sigh) then he comes to a conclusion: if his children won’t visit him, then he will just have to visit them.

Against doctor’s orders Frank, travels across country to visit his children (Austin Lysy as David, Drew Barrymore as Rosie, Sam Rockwell as Robert, and Kate Beckinsale as Amy). This couldn’t come at a worse time because it becomes clear all of his children are avoiding him and his unexpected drop-ins do not change this as he is shipped from child to child.

This movie is supposed to be about this father reconnecting with his children, the problem is, he doesn’t seem to have any real connection with them at all. And, yes, that is supposed to be the point, the (now deceased) mother was the bridge between them and now that she’s gone they have to struggle to create this real, working relationship that they have never had before. But all of the potential that this story has to be an honest emotional discovery, it never realizes. And that because none of these characters are open to an emotional… anything.

Speaking of character flaws, almost all of the characters in this movie are boring. There is no other way to put it, well actually there are several: dull, tedious, uninteresting, and (because I love my thesaurus) wearisome. Everyone just coasts along trying to hide themselves from each other that there is no personal connection at all. Not with each other and especially not with the audience. All of these characters are flat, you don’t see any motivation, any real story or drive behind them. And they offer you nothing; their very personalities are like empty shells.

Well, almost all; as Drew Barrymore offers the only genuine performance of the film. As DeNiro’s daughter Rosie, Barrymore is both captivating and vulnerable giving a very, very brief light into what this movie could be. Or what this movie could have been if every other character had shown just a hint of human emotion instead of walking around like automatons. Barrymore is an open meadow in the barren existence of this film.

Unfortunately that is not enough to save this film. And at the end, it no longer even bothers to try to find a way out of this emotionless rut; the big ‘revelation’ where Frank finally learns the many lies underneath the surface of his family is such a cop-out. After all of the lies and half-hidden truths, Frank basically just dreams up a world where everything is out in the open. And I suppose this could have worked, this would have worked, with a more engaging cast. But unfortunately as it is, in Everybody’s Fine there is not much worth seeing.

For a different Poptimal opinion read Everybody’s Fine…And The Movie Is Quite Good Too by Cameron Cubbison