Film File - Everybody's Fine

As he heads further into middle age, Robert De Niro has been increasingly drawn to more thoughtful and reflective roles. Not that he's cast aside his gangster/action status entirely, mind; it's more testing the waters on the kind of roles that will increasingly be his orbit as age creeps up on him. 'Everybody's Fine' is a remake of the Giuseppe Tornatore film, 'Stanno Tutti Bene', about a father's desire to connect with his children while there is still time. Prompted by a visit to his doctor where his possible ill-health brings a new set of values into focus, widower Frank Goode (De Niro) opts to embark on a late-life road trip across America to see for himself just how his family is faring, and, hopefully, that they have flourished in careers he knows little about. The start of his journey is far from auspicious when he fails to meet with his son David (Austin Lysy), a painter based in New York. Leaving a note under his door, he then heads on to daughter Amy (Kate Beckinsale), who says it's a bad time to visit. Happy to play some golf with his grandson, Jack (Lucien Maisel), Frank is clearly an unexpected and uncomfortable presence in the household and leaves shortly after Amy and hubby Jeff (Damien Young) have a row. Determined to visit each child without any prior notice, Frank's cross-country quest quickly gets the phone lines humming as the siblings warn each other of Pop's imminent arrival. Just as well, as none of them are doing that well in their lives. Frank arrives in Denver expecting to see son Robert (Sam Rockwell) conducting an orchestra but quickly discovers he is "only" a percussionist. Again, the Old Man is told it's not a good time to call. By now, suspicions about David the painter start to emerge within the family - he's in trouble of some sort, but nobody wants to tell Dad. Next on the Saga road trip is Las Vegas, where daughter Rosie (Drew Barrymore) is supposedly a big noise in the entertainment industry. Picked up in a stretch limo and put up in a fancy penthouse, Frank soon discovers it's just another charade by a child keen to impress a father. Matters are further complicated when a mugger takes his prescription pills - forcing Frank to lie to his doctor that he's undertaken this trip. Shortly after returning home from a trip that yielded nothing like he expected, Frank gets a heart attack, only to eventually wake up in a hospital bed surrounded by his family. And, for once, everybody's happy to see him. De Niro carries the film with a measured performance that will likely prompt many cinemagoers to call loved ones they've not connected with for some time. The ensemble acting is well judged - particularly Barrymore and Rockwell, who bring their thought-provoking ability to the roles. While on a very different plane to the Italian original on which it is based, 'Everybody's Fine' remains one of those 'gentle' films that probably won't last too long at your local multiplex, but those who give it a chance will find it makes for a solid experience.