Goodrich Review — Michael Keaton Narrowly Saves Inoffensive, Unimpressive Family Drama

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It’s always a little concerning when nepo babies follow in their famous parent’s footsteps — particularly when they make eerily similar art. The wiser ones branch off and do their own thing. No one would say Sofia Coppola’s films are like Francis’s.Goodrich, the second feature by Hallie Meyers-Sherer, daughter of the beloved Nancy Meyers (Father of the Bride), sees the writer-director cutting from a cloth similar to her mother’s. Narrowly saved by a strong lead performance by Michael Keaton,Goodrichunfortunately feels like a shallow carbon copy of a Nancy Meyers movie.

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GoodrichReview

The film follows an art dealer (Keaton) who finds himself in over his head when his wife suddenly checks into rehab, leaving him to care for their young children by himself. Those hoping this would be a nuanced take on themes like substance abuse, divorce, and single parenting (from the refreshing perspective of an older father, no less) will be disappointed to find thatGoodrichis an inoffensive, cutesy family drama.

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From a technical standpoint, Meyers-Shyer is competent, if unspectacular. There are a few unimpressive things aboutGoodrich’s style— namely that it’s a movie set in the art world, taking place mostly in art galleries, yet the production design feels uninspired. However, her mother never really made stylistically flashy films, so the lack of visual flair can almost be forgiven.

That being said, where Nancy Meyers succeeded was in getting great performances, and Meyers-Shyer seems to be cut from the same cloth. Keaton gives an incredible turn in the lead role, which feels like a maturation of sorts of his character fromMr. Mom. Even when the dialogue betrays him — which is admittedly pretty frequently, especially in the first half — Keaton makes every word feel completely sincere. Of course, his suave, charming nature helps with that a lot.

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Goodrichalso has a shockingly robust supporting cast, the most prominent member of which is Mila Kunis. She’s okay in the role, acting as a foil to Keaton’s character. It’s a similar role to what we have seen from Kunis in the past, but she does it well enough. The standout supporting player is insteadShrinking’s Michael Urie, who plays a very different character here than what we’ve seen from him in the Apple TV+ show, but he’s incredibly charming and endearing.

That’s just scratching the surface of who is inGoodrich, which is a problem in and of itself. The movie also features Carmen Ejogo in a small supporting role that is pivotal to the story but completely meatless, Kevin Pollak doing pretty much nothing, and Andie MacDowell in what is a one-scene cameo. These A-list names are so sorely underused in the film that one has to wonder what happened. Are there more scenes with them that got left on the cutting room floor?

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With such a large ensemble also comes the fact thatGoodrichis simply trying to juggle too many storylines. Although the protagonist is compelling, it’s frustrating to see that the characters around him — most women — all exist in service of his growth, having little to no arc of their own. Worse yet, as the movie progresses, storylines fall off one by one, revealing their unimportance (and the fact that they’re simply padding the 111-minute runtime).

IsGoodrichworth watching?

Still, despite its many issues,Goodrichis a pleasant enough watch. Michael Keaton is a good enough actor that watching him do his thing isn’t a bad way to spend an hour and fifty minutes. It’s not a particularly substantial movie, and it feels cobbled together haphazardly, but there are enough strong elements in the mix that Hallie Meyers-Sherer manages not to tarnish the family name.

Goodrichhits theaters on October 18.