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A father (Robert De Niro) pays a surprise visit to his daughter Rosie (Drew Barrymore) in the family drama “Everybody’s Fine.” |
To its credit, Kirk Jones’ estranged family-in-crisis drama “Everybody’s Fine” refuses to pull out the pliers to yank tears from our ducts. But it thinks about it – really hard.
“Everybody’s Fine” is a remake of Giuseppe Tornatore’s 1990 Italian film “Stanno tutti bene.” Both serve up ample servings of old-fashioned sentiment, which Jones is more than willing to shamelessly pile on.
It’s Robert De Niro’s transparent performance as Frank Goode, a pudgy, middle-aged, retired father with a selective memory that keeps Jones’ drama grounded and accessible.
As Frank travels around the country visiting his four grown children, he’s forced to examine his parenting abilities. For one thing, he comes to realize he has raised a family of liars, and bad liars at that.
As “Everyone’s Fine” opens, Frank anxiously prepares a dinner for his kids, who have agreed to return home for the first time since their mother died eight months earlier. Frank buys steaks, wines and a new $600 outdoor grill.
But as the dinner approaches, each of his children calls to cancel, citing personal problems and professional commitments. Frank says nothing, but we can tell he’s crushed. (Read more…)