Michael Keaton’s character, Andy Goodrich, fits perfectly into the mold of a well off Los Angeleno who can afford to leave certain matters to others. The man owns an art gallery, lives in a castle and pours whiskey aged thirty one for his guests. It is also apparent that Andy has a housekeeper babysitter who mostly looks after his two young twin sons. So it would be startling for him to receive a phone call late one night, during the movie’s initial wedding scene, from his wife, Naomie, played by actress Laura Benanti, where she informs him that she is not in bed with him. Apparently, She is now receiving treatment in a rehabilitation facility for a drug abuse disorder related to prescription drugs, about which he was completely oblivious. With that being said, we shouldn’t say shock. We can’t all imagine that kind of shock. Have we also said shock before, No one’s told us about that kind of shock before.
You would assume this repulsive wealth will allow you to fully appreciate what “Goodrich” depicts as a mid life crisis, but one is left acting unbothered by it. It is however worth noting that when writing and directing the film is Hallie Meyers Shyer, things are more comical than one is used to, that it remains sweetly over the top.
In her second film, she offers audiences a soft core remodeling project with a rom com sorely missing Reese Witherspoon. A film where the lead character, much as in her last film about a woman in disarray, tries to juggle a lot of elements at a time.
You can already tell that Andy is not a good husband or father. After Naomie’s painful separation for the ninety days which is the longest in the scope of the film, he finally learns something about his nine year old kids the calm one called Mose (Jacob Kopera) and the tenacious Billie (Vivien Lyra Blair). He does tell them the truth about their mother being in hospital for rehabilitation, whereas troublemaking Goodrich is zooming within the classroom, arranging their mother’s day activities, knowing which movies they enjoy, etc. Not to mention growing close to Pete (Michael Urie), father to one of the kids’ niggling epileptic classmate. Plus, Grace (Mila Kunis) as well his daughter from his first marriage, can only look from a distance as a pregnant Andy plays a role as father to the children he still isn’t with her.
For precisely these reasons has Andy devoted the greater majority of his years to his family. But rather, he sits back focused on his gallery now close to being bankrupted. The best of options is that he hooks the daughter of a recently deceased artist needs to be impressed first (Carmen Ejogo). Bills are piling for the gallery as if it was a mountain, and still there is the kids’ private school, the female house keeper and so forth. These are not your average ghetto problems.
Keaton has become rather used to portraying old men filled with regrets (“Knox Goes Away”), and he is able to expand this character a bit more in this picture. He depicts Andy as your typical scoundrel who is charming enough for people to ignore his flaws. It’s what makes it so gratifying to see his lightbulb moment when he realizes he has to be a better father figure, akin to Robin Williams’ epiphanic moment in “Mrs Doubtfire.”
Meyer Shyer could delve into creating Andy’s character with much more charm, largely due to her faith in the actors. In the scene, while Keaton angles his focus for us, Kunis effortlessly communicates the sense of betrayal that lies within her character, despite her peasant exterior. In her internal acting, it is out of the question as to why her character is not fleshed out, ‘too over acted.’ Andy barely sees Grace for Grace. So as with the way he also fails to see Naomie and even his ex wife Anne (Andie MacDowell). Once in a while, and not less frequently, she overdoes that being unknowable feature. How many times and in how different manners do we get to look at Andy’s aloofness as the story is not making any leaps. There are enough pulsating fears in these actors to sustain us through the ebbs and flows that our negligence of the movie has staged for us.
On occasion, the lighting is excessive. Certain characters, like Pete for instance, are primarily used to further the cause of Andy asthe friendly guy. There’s a bizarre IDF joke. Also, the score comes tantalizingly close to being annoyingly cliché. But those injuries slide under the strengths of the film: touching family scenes, a well balanced cast and a good sense of humor (Keaton and Kunis seem to have a good chemistry). Even during the last minutes of the movie which tries to balance too many heartwarming speeches, it’s pretty much impossible not to grab the handkerchiefs. “Goodrich” is just the kind of adult appropriate comedy which can be rewatched and doesn’t tire one out.
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