Goodrich

Remember the days when Michael Keaton would star in roles where he became involved in a family dilemma and the more he attempted to 'fix it', the worse it got? well, he's starred in some interesting films since, however with "Goodrich" he is seemingly going back to that type of film, at least with this film. 

Andy Goodrich's (Michael Keaton) life is upended when his wife, Naomi (Laura Benanti) and mother of their nine-year-old twins, Moses (Jacob Kopera) and Billie (Vivien Lyra Blair) enters a 90-day rehab program for prescription meds addiction, leaving him on his own with their young kids. Thrust into the world of modern parenthood, Goodrich leans on his daughter, Grace (Mila Kunis) from his first marriage, all the while his art gallery is having financial woes. As Grace and Andy get to know one another again, he ultimately evolves into the father Grace never had. 

Others to round out the cast are Michael Urie as Terry, Danny Defarrari as Pete, Grace's husband, Andie MacDowell as Ann, Andy's ex-wife, Carmen Ejogo as Tully, Andrew Leeds as Greg, Kevin Pollack as Sy, Nico Hiraga as Jonny and Kimberly Condict as Cecile. 

This was directed with wit and heart by Hallie Meyers-Shyer ("Home Again" '17). This being only the second film she has directed makes this an amazing movie. I've seen seasoned directors that weren't as effective in being able to get their actors to truly dig deep in how they were able to convince the audience of their respective hurt and issues involved. She will certainly go far. This was also written with amazing pathos and humor by Hallie Meyers-Shyer ("Homw Again" '17). Certainly when a director writes their own film, it has a tendency to excel since they know about each and every character that's involved in the production. Although, even with this in mind, since she has only one other film to her credit, I still went to see this film with great trepidation. And after viewing it, I came to the conclusion that the formula of director/writer concept still holds true. Although, this wasn't a perfect film--it was a bit choppy in a couple of places, it certainly wasn't enough to take away from the effectiveness this filmmaker was attempting to convey. Michael Keaton gave his usual steadfast reliable performance that we all have come to love, and with this, it's a film that will have us nostalgic for his past films. 

Definitely if you're a Keaton fan, you'll revel. It's a great expose of the progression of how a blended family can co-exist in spite of their different issues. Emotionally, this film runs the gambit: humor, sorrow, despair, confusion and redemption all rolled up in a tight and bold script.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                       Rated: R                                           110mins.