Everybody's Fine

A new review from The Movie Snob

Everybody's Fine (C). This dawdlin' and maudlin affair stars Robert De Niro (Stardust) as Frank Goode, a widower with four grown children scattered across the USA. When all four of his kids cancel a visit home, he decides to surprise them with visits (despite his doctor's warning that he really shouldn't try anything so strenuous). As he makes his slow way by train and bus, he and we soon realize that Frank is none too close to his children--he doesn't really know what's going on in their lives, and they have pretty much concealed all their sorrows, difficulties, and disappointments from him over the years. Somewhat similar to About Schmidt, which I think I liked much better, this is apparently a remake of an Italian movie almost 20 years old. Anyway, it didn't really draw me in. Oh, I still got a little misty over it, but that's no great feat.