Product: Everybody's Fine (2009)
Rating: 5.0
Everybody's Fine
When I think about Robert De Niro, movies like "The Godfather," "Raging Bull," "Taxi Driver," "Goodfellas," and many others, come to mind - you know, the ones that established him as serious contender in Hollywood. It's kind of a weird feeling seeing him portray a calm, ordinary guy, which is precisely what he does in the charming and captivating "Everybody's Fine."De Niro plays Frank Goode, a single, hard-working parent, who lives by himself in a house once inhabited by his four, now grown-up children and his late wife. His biggest joy in life, it seems, is to have his sons and daughters for Christmas, "all around the same table." For this purpose, he buys the best steaks, wines, etc., so that he can impress his family and enjoy the holidays. However, for this particular Christmas, his children can't make it for this special celebration. So Frank decides to go to them instead, traveling by bus, airplane and by train, in order that he can surprise and spend time with David (Austin Lysy) in New York, Amy (Kate Beckinsale) in Chicago, Robert (Sam Rockwell) in Denver, and Rosie (Drew Barrymore) in Las Vegas. In doing so, Frank is the one surprised, finding secrets after secrets about his adult children, which makes him question himself, about his role in their lives."Everybody's Fine" is about what we expect from our children once there are adults, and how we measure their success. It is touching and honest, and in the end, like Frank, we can conclude that "the family is making its way in the world, and you could be proud of the children and their achievements." The DVD also includes deleted and extended scenes and the making of Paul McCartney's "(I Want To) Come Home." (USA, 2009, color, 100 min plus additional materials).Reviewed on February 22, 2010 by Eric Gonzalez for [...]