Absolutely the epitome of what one other critic I do know refers to as “gas leak cinema,” Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s sweetly deranged “Home Again” — starring Reese Witherspoon as a single mother who invitations three cute and aspiring younger filmmakers to remain in the visitor home of her palatial Brentwood house — is the sort of rom-com that feels prefer it was made by aliens whose solely publicity to our species was an intercepted satellite tv for pc feed of the Hallmark Channel. Everybody is gorgeous, nobody’s choices make sense, and the one remotely urgent battle is whether or not Reese’s new houseguests will be capable to attend her daughter’s college play (they’re scheduled to satisfy with a financier on the similar time, the right subplot for a movie in which cash appears to exist in an infinite provide).
In different phrases, “Home Again” is strictly what I hoped to see from the offspring of Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer; go away regular motion pictures to regular individuals, I wish to know what the world seems like via the eyes of a bright-eyed nepo child who in all probability grew up pondering that “Something’s Gotta Give” was a neo-realist slice of life.
In that mild, I used to be saddened — if solely at first — to find that Meyers-Shyer’s follow-up is a little more all the way down to earth. The film nonetheless takes place in a blithely prosperous model of Los Angeles the place even essentially the most grounded characters act like they’ve suffered traumatic head accidents, however with a title like “Goodrich” (a surname that doubles as a socioeconomic worldview), I used to be fortunately primed for an expertise so privileged and solipsistic that it made “Home Again” seem to be a Safdie brothers film by comparability.
The film I acquired as a substitute was much less insane however in some way extra satisfying, a candy and scatterbrained little comedy that pours its fizzy bottle of champagne issues into an enthralling — and surprisingly relatable! — sketch of fatherhood in movement. Nothing about it feels in the slightest degree actual, however nothing about it feels dishonest both.
Whereas Meyers-Shyer may not be particularly in contact with the fashionable world that she makes use of as a backdrop for her work, she’s discovered find out how to make that disconnect really feel like extra of a characteristic than a bug. It’s a ability that runs in the household, and with “Goodrich,” Meyers-Shyer has weaponized the “gas leak” movieness she inherited from her dad and mom in order to extra successfully inform a coming-of-old-age story a few man who learns that he doesn’t have to decide on between actual love and rom-com absurdity. He can afford to have each.
His identify is Andy Goodrich, he’s a profitable gallery proprietor performed by Michael Keaton (his sweetly bumbling efficiency all pinched cheekbones, arched eyebrows, and half-finished ideas), and he’s awoken in the nighttime by a telephone name from his a lot youthful spouse: She’s checking herself into rehab for a prescription capsule habit and sticking her septuagenarian husband with their twin nine-year-olds for the following 90 days. Besides, he’s probably not her husband anymore, as a result of she’s additionally leaving him.
For sure, this can be a lot for Andy to course of directly, particularly as a result of he’s the one individual on Earth who didn’t know his spouse had a prescription capsule habit. Even the children’ no-nonsense babysitter knew about that (she’s recent out of the Israeli navy, an errant character element that’s dropped into the center of this mild and bouncy comedy with all of the enjoyable of a lead balloon). Andy isn’t a foul man (he’s pretty much as good as he’s wealthy), however his amiable tunnel-vision has made him an absent father, and there’s a worth to pay for being the sort of passionate careerist who sees his household as an obstacle to his work.
The truth that he has greater than sufficient cash to retire solely makes it that a lot simpler for his three children to resent his priorities. Whereas the twins are simply beginning to see the scenario for what it’s, Andy’s daughter from his first marriage has been residing with it for the final 40 years, and when the film begins Grace (Mila Kunis) is pregnant with one other youngster her father will in all probability like to dying at the same time as he seems proper via them. Then once more, life is at all times altering, a lot as Andy may not wish to change with it. Together with his “wife” in rehab and his gallery in dire monetary straits, maybe the time has lastly come for Andy to reassess what’s actually necessary to him.
There isn’t a ton of narrative firepower behind that premise, and “Goodrich” doesn’t lock into a transparent plot a lot because it pleasantly shambles from one semi-related incident to a different (the “Philip Glass on Lexapro” shimmer of Christopher Willis’ rating has an upbeat method of spackling over the gaps). Meyers-Shyer makes it clear that Andy’s gallery will go below if he doesn’t land one other main artist quickly, however the stakes are purely emotional in nature, and the film — to its credit score — doesn’t fake that any of its characters can be out on the road in the event that they misplaced their jobs. Meyers-Shyer is so dedicated to a frictionless movie world that she takes pains to incorporate a scene the place Andy’s youngest worker assures him that he’s acquired one other gig lined up in the Portland arts scene (a milieu that I’d pay good cash to see get the Meyers-Shyer remedy).
What little plot there may be takes form round Andy’s seek for a brand new shopper, which conjures up him to pursue the daughter of a just lately deceased artist whose property he hopes to exhibit. Per the foundations of gasoline leak cinema, mentioned daughter isn’t some sensible grownup who’s in discussing enterprise, she’s a wealthy however seemingly unemployed — and vaguely obtainable? — bohemian stunner (Carmen Ejogo) who splits her plentiful free time between feminist jazz reveals in downtown L.A. and crunchy respiratory workshops up in the hills. Does she really feel like an actual individual? She doesn’t. Does her ridiculousness enable “Goodrich” to contrive a humorous scene the place Andy finds himself the one man in the viewers for lesbian evening at an area music membership? Completely, and also you higher imagine that Keaton has some nice faces able to go for these response photographs.
There’s a touch of flirtation in the air, however neither “Goodrich” nor its namesake has romance on its thoughts (Andy remains to be hopeful that his errant spouse can have a change of coronary heart by the point she comes house), and Meyers-Shyer principally makes use of rom-com tropes in order to push her protagonist towards a unique sort of love. That course of is genial and inelegant in equal measure. Sparked by a meet-cute, the winsome scenes between Andy and one of many different dad and mom at his children’ personal college (a homosexual single dad performed by Michael Urie) show typical of a film that’s extra comfy with straightforward smiles than precise laughs, however Keaton seizes each likelihood he will get to steal just a little pathos for his character. Laborious as it may be to see how this uneven subplot would possibly feed into the massive image, “Goodrich” achieves just a little extra pace and focus at any time when it funnels Andy again in the direction of his household.
The final act of this story, which appears to have someplace between six and 11 acts, would in all probability hit rather a lot more durable if Meyers-Shyer didn’t relegate Grace to the background till it will get there; one in all her most vital scenes feels prefer it’s lacking fully, whether or not it was edited out or by no means shot in the primary place. And but, the function that Grace may nonetheless play in her father’s life — and the function that he may nonetheless play in these of his youngsters — has to daybreak on the film as steadily because it does on Andy himself.
Meyers-Shyer might not have meant for Andy’s emergent change of coronary heart to be the funniest a part of her comedy (ohhh he simply has to cease working and all of his issues will probably be solved eternally!), but it surely’s nonetheless enjoyable to look at him awaken to the dormant joys of being a dad. Exhibiting “Casablanca” to his too-young-for-it twins. Dressing them up for Halloween. Typically being current sufficient that the film can get away with simply forgetting in regards to the children’ babysitter, despite the fact that she was teed as much as be a recurring character.
And whereas “Goodrich” might not earn the movie-dependent line that caps off its delirious climax, Keaton sells it so laborious that it may well’t assist however really feel prefer it’s coming from an sincere place. Hallie Meyers-Shyer has now made two very illogical movies about how one can, in truth, go house once more. I imagine this one.
Grade: B-
Ketchup Leisure will launch “Goodrich” in theaters on Friday, October 18.
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