Click to enlarge

TheProphetFromTrailopen.com |
Date: 2009-12-11

I went by myself, a 62 year-old with 4 grown sons. I sat in my old hunting coat and sniffled and cried for however long it was. I think De Niro wears his role with both an ease and a genius few possess. I'll get the DVD as soon as it's released. I know De Niro's own real-life dad passed shortly before his "Bronx Tales" was released, and perhaps, in some zen-like chi, this kinda closes a circle on the dad-stuff there. I met De Niro once, and was extremely impressed with his character (as in 'integrity', not as in an acting role).

Lorraine Hornig |
Date: 2009-12-15

As a big fan of Robert De Niro, I was excited to see him appearing in another dramatic role. De Niro appears as a widower who embarks on a cross-country trip to visit each of his four children after they all cancel their plans to visit him at his home in Elmira, New York. Against his physician's advise he sets out and each of the four stops is a disappointment as he slowly realizes, by their thinly veiled excuses, that something isn't "right". A perfectionistic father who coated electrical wiring for a living, he expected his children to reach the top of their chosen fields(an artist, an advertising executive, a musician / conductor, and a dancer). As the story unfolds it become apparent that the kids have gone to great lengths to present a facade of success and happiness. He comes to realize that the negative details of his children's lives have always been hidden from him...even by his now deceased wife. In a touching scene when he insists on the truth regarding one of his children, he responds with, "No, No...tell me it's not true." The bottom line: this family kept secrets and secrets benefit no one. This very thought-provoking film is a real tear-jerker, so be prepared. I disagree with the opinions of many of the professional critics. This was an incredible film! Robert De Niro approached his role with tenderness and sensitivity and in my opinion was the top performance of the year. This film will be a definite addtion to my DVD collection. I highly recommend it!

Edmonson |
Date: 2009-12-17

Kirk Jones wrote and directed "Everybody's Fine". This is an wonderfully quiet film that follows the lonely Frank Goode (Robert De Niro) who goes on a trip to visit his children (Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell), since they were too busy to visit him. Unbeknown to Frank is that his artist son, who is in Mexico, has run into some problems, but the other children are trying to cover up this fact. We follow Frank, who is a kind, and intelligent man, who has never really been close to his children, and who is making the effort to bridge this gap late in his life. This is a heartfelt exploration about a father trying to connect with his children which inevitably nurtures a feeling of goodwill and love.

Gregory Ehrbar |
Date: 2010-02-16

Everybody's Fine is a "people" movie, a study of characters -- both central and peripheral. It's a drama with some comedic elements, heavy on emotion but low on over-the-top histrionics. And depending on where it might hit you in your own life, it can be a real tearjerker, in that good way that makes you think about the important things and discuss them with the important people in your life.

Robert DeNiro gives an understated performance as a father who would not or could not realize he was expressing lifelong disappointment with his children if they were less than "the best." They had spent years hiding any flaws from him and sharing their struggles only with their mother, who had passed several months earlier.

Their stories come together as he travels the country to reconnect. Along the way, British director Kirk Wise (Waking Ned, Nanny McPhee) presents snapshots of interesting characters and fascinating faces, both genial and malevolent.

The part that touched my wife and me most was the technique using children to speak for their grownup counterparts in key sections of the film. DeNiro's character still sees them as school age kids and, through his reveries, so do we. It's not a new technique but it seems to work effectively here and often hits hard in ways that standard confrontational scenes could not. Since our kids are school age and we have parents we want to please too, it made my wife and I think about our own parent/child relationships.

One of the messages of the movie seems to be that it's not too late to pick up the pieces, but you can suffer great losses if you get too distracted and wait too long -- and we all need to take a breath and be more accepting of one another's choices. It's not so much that we should "settle" but rather that there are better ways to measure true success.

My only criticism of the DVD is that there is NO AUDIO COMMENTARY. There are a few extended scenes and a short look at Paul McCartney's involvement in creating a song for the film. A commentary was sorely missed.

OlyNomad |
Date: 2010-02-24

I can't remember the last movie I saw that hit my heart like this movie did. The acting was outstanding, especially Deniro, but everyone was good, fantastic job in casting it. Maybe it's because it reminded me so much of my relationship with my parents that it got me like it did, but even beyond that, there was so many little spots in the movie that choked me up. It wasn't over the top either, it was so true to life.
I really have to question the few negative reviews on this movie. I understand everyone has different life experiences so they might not relate to the movie exactly the way I did, but I have to wonder if someone's heart it is still working if they didn't find some kind of emotional connection to the movie or at least appreciate the plot and depth of the movie.
This is easily the best movie that I have seen in a very long time.