Is there anyone who doesn’t love Michael Keaton? I ask that question seriously. It doesn’t matter what generation you’re from, Keaton has probably made a movie that you love, or played a character you identify with through him. And recently he’s been revisiting some of those roles, such as returning as Batman for The Flash, and starring in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. But we can’t forget that he’s just great all around, and an Oscar-nominated actor for a reason. Keaton can elevate just about anything he’s in, and certainly does so for the dramedy Goodrich, which would be totally lost without him.
Goodrich is the latest film from writer/director Hallie Meyers-Shyer, the daughter of beloved filmmaker and rom-com maestro Nancy Meyers. If anyone is responsible for the rom-com formula we’ve been accustomed to for decades, it’s Meyers. The apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. Meyers-Shyer’s debut feature Home Again was like a clone of her mother’s work, and Goodrich follows closely in the same vein. Keaton’s role resembles something that Jack Nicholson, who Meyers worked with on Something’s Gotta Give, might’ve played 20 or 30 years ago. It makes for the kind of cookie-cutter, comfortable comedy that you can map out easily from scene to scene. And yet, Keaton is so good that he almost makes you okay with that.
Keaton plays Andy Goodrich, a struggling art dealer, married for the second time to a much younger woman, Naomi (Laura Benanti), who has just checked herself into rehab. That leaves Goodrich (yes, everyone calls him by his last name) alone to take care of their two kids, and he’s utterly clueless as to what to do. Not really shocking since Goodrich also didn’t realize his wife had a drug problem. Also, not a shock when she tells him she wants a divorce. Rough day.
In what feels like the evolution of his iconic Mr. Mom role, Keaton’s Goodrich is suddenly a single dad to his inquisitive, insightful children, Billie (Vivien Lyra Blair) and Mose (Jacob Kopera). They suspect something is going on that he’s keeping secret, which he is out of fear of having to actually deal with. It’s just not something he’s good at. Case in point: his older, pregnant daughter Grace (Mila Kunis), who he has a strained relationship with because he was so neglectful. She remains in his life, and agrees to help him when he asks for advice on raising the kids, but this is hardly a two-way-street.
This isn’t the first movie about a man older in life who has a coming-of-age, reflecting on the years of pain he’s caused the people he loves. Goodrich is a good guy, and Keaton makes him easy to root for. We can forgive him the many many mistakes he makes along the way, even though some are inexcusable. Like, how does he not know that the strict private school his kids attend doesn’t serve lunch? How does he not know one of them has a peanut allergy? Why, when they decide to have a movie night, does he force them to watch Casablanca? Ugh that last one!! But Goodrich is trying to do the right thing. That much we can see. We also see that he puts so much of his effort into keeping the art gallery afloat that it has hurt the connection to his family. And it’s hard for Grace to see Goodrich trying to be the father she never got to be raised by. She got the short end of the stick.
But man, does Goodrich hit some lame tropes of the genre. You can see the scenes coming long before they ever happen. When Goodrich suddenly out of nowhere befriends Pete (Michael Urie), a gay single father (and a melodramatic actor!!) with a sick son, YOU JUST KNOW there will be a moment of miscommunication and crossed signals and a really awkward kiss. We know Grace will go into labor at a comedically inconvenient moment. We know Goodrich will reunite with his first wife (Andie MacDowell) and get those old romantic feelings again. We also know that Grace is going to unleash all of her hurt onto Goodrich at some point, but even when she does it has literally no lasting impact.
Fortunately for Meyers-Shyer, she has her mother’s knack for getting the best out of her actors. Keaton is really great here, in a likable, funny, down-to-earth performance that reminds us he can make the best of any situation. Kunis plays well opposite Keaton, giving him a lot to work with as the daughter who both loves and hates her father simultaneously. There’s less to do for Carmen Ejogo, who shows up as the daughter of a famous artist, but she makes the most of it and works well with Keaton. They have solid chemistry together; nothing romantic, they just have a vibe that clicks. The biggest laughs will come from Vivien Lyra Blair, who some may recognize as young Princess Leia in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Here, she’s the kid who is much wiser than the adults realize and isn’t afraid to call them out on their bullshit. The film juggles a bunch of other characters and subplots of lessening value, which is why they all vanish without much resolution.
Goodrich has a few laughs, and a few interactions that tug at the heartstrings, but nothing that truly lasts other than Keaton’s performance. It’s the kind of easygoing, inoffensive film that you can watch and forget about shortly after. If there’s anything that lingers, it’s that we don’t get to see Keaton be charming like this nearly often enough. Hollywood, take note.
Ketchup Entertainment releases Goodrich in theaters October 18th.
