'Goodrich' Review: Michael Keaton Shines In This Tried and True Dramedy
The veteran presence of michael keaton anchors this Cliche yet endearing family story.
Michael Keaton is a screen presence whose range is almost second-to-none in American cinema. Having made memorable impacts in both leading and supporting roles, across many franchises and genres, there never tends to be one kind of performance that one would associate with Michael Keaton. His latest, Goodrich, serves as a competent star vehicle with a nice bit of emotional depth. Goodrich somehow feels like unentered territory for the seasoned performer, especially amidst all his recent returns to franchise roles such as Beetlejuice and Batman, and is a welcomed return to the true spotlight, full of his signature wittiness.
The film follows the life of Andy Goodrich, (Michael Keaton) an LA-based art dealer whose life is upended as his much younger, second wife unexpectedly checks into a 90-day rehab program, leaving Goodrich to care for his two young kids. On top of this, Goodrich must deal with financial woes regarding his long-standing art gallery, learn how to be a modern father at an old age, and make amends with his oldest (and also pregnant) daughter, Grace (Mila Kunis) to help him amidst the turbulence in his life.
For the most part, Goodrich succeeds at teaching an old dog new tricks, a phrase that rings true to many elements of the film. The ‘father making amends’ dramedy is far from a new subgenre, but Goodrich finds its own merits in the margins. Having an older protagonist in this sort of film is a more unique choice, and one that makes for an interesting new outlook on many things. Despite Andy Goodrich being the focalized character, the one the audience is rooting for, the film doesn’t shy away from acknowledging his paternal shortcomings. In fact, they become the narrative basis of the film. Goodrich’s ego and integrity alike are challenged, and while these elements aren’t of the most narrative depth, the saccharine nature of the film as a whole proves sufficient to dispel a significant sense of weariness.
Sophomore director Hallie Myers-Shyer, daughter of genre veterans Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer, ultimately shows improvement from her debut, Home Again, with a stronger, more heartfelt narrative, akin to something her parents would have made in a contemporary setting. The interpersonal familial dynamics make for a competent emotional core, and the veteran presence of Keaton selling every emotional beat to a tee. The film presents many interesting character dynamics, perhaps even too many. This makes sense, with the film being about a man trying to take on more than he can, against all odds. However, many of the aforementioned dynamics are more interesting on paper than in execution. The Goodrich-Grace dynamic is where the film really shines, with both characters facing contrasting parenthoods, a nice layer to their estranged father-daughter conflict. Kunis and Keaton’s chemistry is amicable and both performers truly make their dialogue sing. Many other dynamics, such as the one between Goodrich and his absent wife, Naomi (Laura Benanti) or his kids, feel strangely unexplored in this 2 hour film.
Goodrich is ultimately a film about righting wrongs, to which the film mostly succeeds on an emotional level. While it’s nothing completely unique, it glides comfortably on the charisma and gravitas of Michael Keaton, resulting in a tried-and-true kind of family drama, amplified by some solid emotional beats and scattered moments of genuine resonance along the way. If Goodrich is anything to go off of, fans of the Nancy Meyers styled-comedies should feel in relatively safe in Myers-Shyer’s hands going forward, with evident fingerprints of her cinematic prose to be found in her daughter’s work here. Goodrich also releases as a rare kind of heartfelt dramedy in the current theatrical landscape, and one that can serve as a serviceable, all-ages, family watch in the forthcoming fall film season.