Goodrich Movie Review

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Though there was some redundancy, and you get the feeling that the writing could have left out some talking down to you as if you don’t “get it,” this excellent film was perfectly cast. It’s a tale you’ve been told before, but it shouldn’t be missed.

Andy Goodrich’s (Keaton) life has been just that… his. He doesn’t really want anyone else in it all that much. He has an art gallery, and outside of the people who work within that sphere, he isn’t all that interested in others. You get a feeling that his older self now faces trouble keeping his gallery. He feels sorry for himself. Troubles that sometimes come with aging and no longer being relevant hit him hard. He notices mainly when those around him shed him from their inner circle.

We open on Andy in the middle of the night, getting a phone call from his wife Naomi (Laura Benanti), who has taken herself to rehab. It’s a running gag that he’s about the only person who didn’t know she was a pill popper. Even his nine-year-old twins knew. Either he’s not very observant about his family or doesn’t care about them. They all know the sad truth of that reality. She not only tells him that she’s in rehab but that she’s leaving him. Now, he has a company to try and save and a wife, who used to take care of the kids when he worked, walking out the door. He’s sinking!

What to do. If you’re Andy, you go straight to Grace (Mila Kunis), your older, pregnant daughter from his first marriage. She has a big, kind heart. He’s lucky because I’m not sure he could care for the kids or himself without Grace. Knowing she meant very little to him, she tells him to his face that he must really love what he does to leave his kids to do it. She was speaking about the twins but also about herself. The remark stings him a little… not really.

By the way, director/writer Hallie Meyers-Shyer wrote incredible dialogue for the younger daughter in the film, Billie, played expertly by Vivien Lyra Blair. Her character was so well written that it seemed as if you were watching the situation play out live. Meyers-Shyer watched her parents get a divorce; they are writers/directors and very talented: Nancy Meyers (who directed the 1998 version of “The Parent Trap” to Hallie) and Charles Shyer, who wrote several entertaining films such as “Father of the Bride” and “Alfie.” I could spend all day here telling you about their accomplishments. Young Vivien Lyra Blair deserves much credit for making her character so alive and stand out. She definitely knows how to deliver and line.

Andy is accomplished, and that capable, skilled lifestyle might be coming to an end. His very existence is all over the place, scattered, and his situation—he’s depressed and unable to control his life and his family at this point—comes across to the audience exceptionally clearly and becomes a burden. Billie knows more than he does at this point.

When at the house, he needs to become the parent he never was. He gets the hang of loving the youngsters in his new life.

You will notice that a moment of dialog sounds and feels like it came straight from the movie “Kramer vs. Kramer,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Streep was also a writer on the film. Billie wants to get her way and uses everything in her arsenal to attack. Andy says, “No!” Billie retorts, saying, “Mom likes us more than you do.” He comes back with, “Mom likes you more than I do. Well, mom’s not here, is she?!” It’s a great film, scene, and a relatable subject.

“Goodrich” is moving and deserves several nominations when the Academy Awards are considered. Michael Keaton was exceptional, Mila Kunis was off the charts, and Vivien Lyra Blair shouldn’t be left out. Her banter with Keaton and her ability to handle any line thrown at her made the film. I was looking forward to what she’d say next. Even though I appreciated the movie as a whole, its story, and its characters, the movie could have been shorter.

I’ll not mention everything it involves; I only suggest to you that this is an engaging exploration of the five stages of grief, if even accidentally. Families go through a lot, and you may recognize your own family here. There are a few times when Hallie Meyers-Shyer rips your heart out because she doesn’t back off what she’s saying this man has done to his children. Does he deserve some consideration? You tell me.

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