Everybody's Fine

Robert De Niro stars as retired widower Frank Goode, who tries to reconnect with his grown children in writer-director Kirk Jones' remake of Giuseppe Tornatore's 1990 Stanno Tutti Bene. Frank first senses something's amiss when he plans a summer reunion barbeque and his children cancel, one after another, giving a variety of flimsy excuses. Despite dire warnings from his doctor, Frank decides to make a cross-country road trip, paying a surprise visit to each of them: his first stop is New York City, where he waits at the apartment of his artist son David, who never shows up. Then it's on to Chicago to see his advertising executive daughter Amy (Kate Beckinsale), who seems tense and uncomfortable. In Denver, classical musician son Robert (Sam Rockwell) is leaving just as Frank arrives; and in Las Vegas, dancer daughter Rosie (Drew Barrymore) is saddled with a babysitting chore. Although everyone tries to put up a good front, Frank knows that things are not perfect in their lives—far from it; and during his journey, familial secrets and regrets are gradually revealed (while recurring motifs of a telephone pole–studded landscape and blurred voices are ironically symbolic of the problems Frank has had in communicating with his offspring). Deliberately underplaying his character's disappointment, De Niro is masterful in the redemptive role originated by Marcello Mastroianni. Poignant, if occasionally schmaltzy, Everybody's Fine is a touching family story, full of humor, heart, and wisdom. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include deleted/extended scenes (12 min.), a “making-of” featurette on Paul McCartney's soundtrack song “(I Want To) Come Home” (10 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a winning film.] (S. Granger)[Blu-ray Review—Oct. 23, 2012—Lionsgate, 100 min., PG-13, $14.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2009's Everybody's Fine sports a fine transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras are identical to those on the DVD release, including deleted and extended scenes (12 min.), a “making-of” featurette on Paul McCartney's soundtrack song “(I Want To) Come Home” (10 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a welcome Blu-ray debut for a winsome film.]