Everybody’s Fine is a road story about a widower who decides to visit his far-flung adult children.
Robert De Niro stars as Frank Goode, who seems to have put his whole life into his work.
His wife was obviously the emotional glue of the family, and now that she’s gone, Frank begins to realize how little he really knows about his children.
After all four adult kids cancel plans to come home for a holiday gathering, Frank decides to go to visit them.
He’ll travel by train and bus, and he’ll surprise them, one by one.
His first visit is to New York City, to visit David, his son the artist.
David’s not home and he can’t be found, so dad moves on to the next stop: His daughter, Amy (Kate Beckinsale).
Amy is a highly successful ad executive who lives in Chicago. She seems very unhappy to see her father, pressed for time, and keen to get rid of him. There’s something wrong with her marriage, among other problems. She gives dad the bum’s rush.
So he’s off to the Pacific Northwest to see his son, Robert (Sam Rockwell), the musician. Dad always describes Robert as the conductor of the symphony, but he’s not; he’s a for-hire musician, leading a simple life.
There’s friction between dad and this son, too, so father moves on again to see his fourth child, Rosie (Drew Barrymore). She lives in Vegas, and her life is also way too busy to permit much time with dad. Like all the siblings, Rosie has secrets.
So Frank goes home to figure it all out. He has seen through each child’s attempts to put him off and jolly him along. All he wants is for the children to be happy.
Will they only get together again if there’s a crisis?
Hey, look! A crisis! Prepare to be emotionally manipulated.
Throughout Everybody’s Fine, De Niro’s character looks at his grown-up children and sees them as little kids still, a visual trick that’s only interesting the first few times.
The movie is wildly disconnected, with separate chapters that never quite come together, and the only actor who will convince you that she’s part of a family is Barrymore. The central story, concerning De Niro and his children, is a bit emotionally soggy and confused for this viewer’s taste.
A secondary story, which concerns De Niro’s generation, his values and his expectations for his children, is far more interesting. Too bad it’s not explored much.
Everybody’s Fine is a remake of the 1990 Italian film Stanno tutti bene, which stars Marcello Mastroianni.
With that foundation and such a stellar cast, it’s tough to see how this American remake could be so lacklustre — but it is.
A fellow critic described Everybody’s Fine as a wasted opportunity, and sadly, that’s exactly what it is.
liz.braun@sunmedia.ca
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EVERYBODY'S FINE
1 Hour, 40 Minutes
Starring
Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale
Director
Kirk Jones
Sun Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5
