Everybody's Fine

We watched Everybody's Fine Friday night. Oh boy: what an emotionally charged movie! Scrolling through the Comcast on Demand movies and seeing that Robert De Niro and Drew Barrymore star, I counted on Everybody's Fine being about a dysfunctional family but figured that there would be on a lot of comedy thrown in.

I was wrong: there was very little if no comedy; however the movie was a gem. Robert De Niro was totally endearing. He plays a widower who's trying to reconnct with his 4 adult children. Ok, he wasn't a very involved parent, leaving that role to his wife, but he wanted the best for them. That's where the conflict comes in. Whereas he thought he was encouraging them to take advantage of every opportunity, they thought he was too pushy and critical.

I was pretty much teary-eyed the whole movie. For one, the Robert De Niro character is so likeable. You just want to hug him as he muddles through being a recent widower and doing a commendable job trying to reconnect with his children. It was sad to me how the children basically shun him. You feel his pain.

It's not hard to see the children's point of view though. They remember a father who pushed them and was never happy with their results.

Fortunately, the movie ends mostly on a good note, but that's all I'll say.

It makes me think of my father, who pushed us pretty hard too. I guess parents, especially fathers, really do want their children to succeed and have good careers and not go through the struggles they had to endure. And children resist. Just part of the natural tug of war between parents and children, it's healthy, to a degree. If each could only see the other's point of view, maybe there wouldn't be so much strife.

Anyway, if you're up for an emotional movie, I'd very much recommend Everybody's Fine.