The Reel Review
When his much younger second wife leaves him and checks herself in a rehab facility, a Los Angeles art gallery owner consumed with his work must learn how to be a father to their two young children, while seeking the help of his pregnant adult daughter who is still bitter about him being an absentee father during her own childhood. Michael Keaton and Mila Kunis star in this dramedy.
Writer/director Hallie Meyers-Shyer assembles a pleasing story about a man facing a tsunami of crises – his business is failing, his second wife is leaving him and he now has to take care of his young twins who – surprise, surprise – don’t really know him. Keaton shines as the well-intended, late-in-life dad dealing with a lot of problems, some self-inflicted. Kunis and Vivien Lyra Blair (The Boogeyman, Obi-Wan Kenobi) are also solid as his older and younger daughters.
The strong performances help make up for a predictable story that at times suffers from uneven pacing, especially in the first half of the film. But the relatable elements of Goodrich make this a pleasant, albeit forgettable family dramedy.
REEL FACTS
• Writer/director Hallie Meyers-Shyer wrote the main role specifically for Michael Keaton. “I wrote it 100% with him in mind,” she said, “to the point where if he had said no, I would have buried it and myself in the backyard.”
• Writer/director Hallie Meyers-Shyer, the daughter of writer/director Nancy Meyers (The Intern, The Holiday, Father of the Bride, Private Benjamin) was a child actress, appearing as the Flower Girl in 1991’s Father of the Bride and as the young Annie Banks in 1995’s Father of the Bride Part II.
• Michael Keaton and Andie MacDowell also appeared in 1996’s Multiplicity.
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