“Goodrich”, do we really need it?

Los Angeles art gallery owner Andy Goodrich (Michael Keaton, who seems to be saying, “I’m Michael Keaton, don’t ask for more”) was married to a woman (Andie MacDowell, glimpsed) who worked in the same business. Propelled by a midlife (or sixty?) crisis, he divorced her to marry Naomi (Laura Benanti, glimpsed-encore), not much older than the daughter from his first marriage, Grace (Mila Kunis, who here breaks records for non-chemistry with her on-screen partner).

Now the father of 9-year-old twins (Vivien Lyra Blair, excellent; Jacob Kopera, unassuming), the gentleman is now in trouble on all sides. Not only are things difficult for his gallery, but Wife Number 2 has gone to rehab. She will be absent for 90 days. Andy is shocked. He had never realized that the woman with whom he shared his daily life (a consecrated formula, nothing more) had a drug problem.

Completely helpless (what do you do with kids?!), he turns to Grace. The one he neglected when she was a kid. Who is 27 years older than her half-brother and sister. Who is pregnant with her first child. Who has cut a lot of bridges with her father. But hey! Dad needs a helping hand. And a hand.

And fist, maybe?!

From father and mother to daughter

Written and directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer (the insipid Home Again ), Goodrich is one of those films that is not only bad, but also infuriating because it wastes… everything: time, talent, money. There were real issues here. Father-daughter relationships, not so often explored in cinema. But also, perhaps most importantly, the repercussions of a broken relationship in the context described above. There was so, so much to say. To write. To show.

But on screen, emptiness. Everything is smooth. Without relief. The situations like the characters. The feelings are lukewarm, defused like so many damp squibs. The actors are not inspired (how could they be?). Finally, sadness ends up winning. Not for the reasons sought.

This feature film probably wouldn’t exist if the person behind it weren’t part of Hollywood aristocracy. Hallie Meyers-Shyer is the daughter of writer/producer/director Nancy Meyers ( Private Benjamin, The Intern ) and writer/producer/director Charles Shyer ( Private Benjamin, Alfie ). As such, she had small roles in her parents’ “baby movies” ( Father of the Bride, The Parent Trap ) before attempting to strike out on her own. Only to crash-land on Home Again. And now, on Goodrich.

A luxury therapy that seems to have been written in the last century (and even then), this dramatic comedy is very much inspired by her life. But given the result, one gets the impression that she has learned nothing from it. Or has not dared to. Even the distributor seems to know this, having set the critical embargo at one minute before the day of the release of this film… which will only be shown on the big screen in its original English version. That, at least, is a clear message.

Goodrich (VOA)

★★
Comedy drama by Hallie Meyers-Shyer. With Michael Keaton, Mila Kunis, Vivien Lyra Blair, Jacob Kopera. United States, 2024, 111 minutes. In theaters from October 18.