A movie like GOODRICH is what I like to call a “nice” movie. There is very little in the way of characters having TOO much hardship with so much positivity around them, but sometimes we need a movie like this to come along to make us feel a little bit better.
The real star here is the always reliable Michael Keaton, who has such a complex character when you really think about it. GOODRICH throws us into the action pretty quick as an art gallery owner whose younger wife leaves him to go rehab and finds himself dealing with both younger twins AND his pregnant daughter (Mila Kunis) who is VERY pregnant at the moment and at wits end with her dad.
It always seems like he is on the move, trying to juggle so many things at once, and Keaton has always been one of the better “acting is reacting” performers with his expressive face and eyes. He is matched well with Mila Kunis, who also does a really good job playing a woman in her late stages of pregnancy.
The director choice is also interesting here with Hallie Myers-Shyer, daughter of Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer. The two directors were combined on FATHER OF THE BRIDE and Nancy Meyers went on to direct her own pictures like THE PARENT TRAP remake, WHAT WOMEN WANT and THE HOLIDAY. This is Hallie’s second feature after the somewhat overlooked HOME AGAIN with Resse Witherspoon that came out in 2018, and her style has evolved a bit here and doesn’t copy her parents’ work.
Overall GOODRICH is just oh-so nice and you kind of wonder how someone like Mike Leigh would handle the material with more realism, but overall GOODRICH is so positive and enormously likeable thanks to its strong cast and LA-setting that I can’t help but recommend the picture. Though this did not do well theatrically I see a good home for this on home video platforms and streaming.
GOODRICH is now playing in cinemas across North America. Our thanks to Elevation Pictures for sending along a screening link for preview.
Boring Tech Notes: The movie has a VERY wide aspect ratio of 2.55:1, similar to LA LA LAND, and I have zero idea why the filmmakers chose to shoot the movie this way. It looks great on the big screen, though I feel it’s going to look a little too letterboxed on smaller TVs.