Everybody's Fine (2009) (PG-13)

Everybody's Fine (2009) (PG-13)
Directed by Kirk Jones
Starring: Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell

Daddy Says:

I just don't think some movies were meant for me. Not that I'm incapable of appreciating the talent involved, simply that I'm not the target audience for a film like this. Everybody's Fine stars Robert DeNiro as a recent widower trying to reconnect with his now-adult aged children, but finding the lines of communication have been disabled for many years. His children (Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell) cancel last-minute on a family get-together, prompting him to make a surprise visit to each of them. What he finds is that their lives aren't all he thought they were.

Given the level of acting talent involved here, I really wanted to like this movie. Robert DeNiro is one of my all-time favorite actors. From Taxi Driver, to The Godfather Part II, to GoodFellas, to Raging Bull, I have enjoyed many of his performances. His performance here anchors the film nicely and almost succeeds in making the movie worthwhile. The actors playing his children do well with what they're given to work with, but the script feels like it's just going through the motions most of the time. There is very little emotional resonance, and not really any good dialogue to work with.

Overall, I don't exactly feel like I wasted my time by watching this, but at the same time I don't feel like I gained anything in return either. My grade may seem harsh, and I don't mean for it to be seen that way, but I do believe that the film should have at least made me care about more than one of the characters. Although most of the films I've been watching lately have been action movies, I can appreciate a good drama. This just isn't one.

Grade for Everybody's Fine: F

Daughter Says:

Everybody's Fine was an okay movie. I don't really care for sad and depressing movies and this just happens to be one of those types of movies. I tend to lean toward movies that liven up my mood, not bring it down. As for taking the movie in, completely taking out my stereotyping, it wasn't all that bad of a movie.

This movie had okay parts and a lot of secrets that weren't that well hidden. It gave the impression that the main character was a bit of an idiot, which he isn't. The character writing was alright, because he was an old man and he acted like one. He would walk around telling everyone he knows about his children and liked to ramble on to complete strangers. To me, in real life, people who tell their life stories to random strangers drive me insane so I was rolling my eyes through most of the movie.

Besides the eye rolling, there were a lot of sad moments. You could tell that the kids were hiding things from their dad, which is always a sad story for me. I hate lying to anyone, that's why I don't do it. Plus, it was sad when Robert DeNiro found out the secrets and still kept his emotions to himself. I had the urge to cry, but didn't.

Overall an okay movie, I wouldn't rate it a "F" so I'll give it a "C".