Michael Keaton and Mila Kunis play it safe in a family comedy

Complicated parent-child relationships have been explored extensively in film and television, and now Goodrich adding to the list. Starring Michael Keaton and Mila Kunis, director and writer Hallie Meyers-Shyer, daughter of Charles Shyer and Nancy Meyers, drew from her personal life for this film, including her father having children significantly younger than her .

The drama is anchored by Keaton and Kunis holding this story on solid ground. Although the film feels a bit rushed at times, there is still an engaging heart to the story.

What is ‘Goodrich’ about?

Andy Goodrich (Keaton) is the father of three children, his eldest daughter Grace (Kunis), from his first marriage, and two nine-year-old twins, Billie (Vivien Lyra Blair) and Mose (Jacob Kopera), from his second. Andy is an art gallery owner who has been a largely absent father to his three children.

Things change when he receives a phone call from his wife Naomi (Laura Benanti), who tells him that she has entered rehab for an addiction to pills. Not only is Andy completely unaware of his wife’s addiction, he didn’t even realize she wasn’t in bed with him until the phone rang.

Now Andy is left to take care of his twins, and it’s a tough road. For example, Andy forgot about his son’s nut allergy, almost causing Moses to go into anaphylaxis with a takeout dinner order.

While Andy tries to adjust to these parental responsibilities that he is largely avoiding in his life, he also faces pressure at work. The gallery is in dire financial straits and Andy must try to close a deal with the daughter (Carmen Ejogo) of a recently deceased artist to keep the gallery afloat.

Andy has a friendly relationship with Grace, an entertainment journalist who is pregnant with her first child, with her husband Pete (Danny Deferrari). But throughout the story, Grace and Andy evaluate their relationship, including Grace confronting her father for regularly disappointing her growing up.

Is ‘Goodrich’ worth watching?

Goodrich it falls into the category of a reliable and comfortable drama. There are moments meant to make you laugh, with others designed to bring a tear to your eye. It has actors you can count on to engage you through the film, but it stays very much in this blanket of predictability.

This won’t be a bad thing for many people, many just want to get in and see a movie where you can anticipate from the start that everything is going to be okay. But Goodrich seems to leave a lot on the table, especially with the relationship between Andy and Grace.

In fact, it’s really Grace’s lack of presence in the film that leaves you wanting more. When she starts to see how different Andy is as a father to her half-siblings, compared to when he was her age, there’s a real heartbreak there, and you want to see Grace’s feelings more than we’re allowed to. Goodrich.

In fact, the most shocking moment in the entire film comes from Danny Deferrari. When Grace is about to give birth with possible complications, Pete gives an emotional and heartfelt talk to reassure his wife that everything will be fine.

The approach to Goodrich it feels too comfortable, as if there are vast swaths of human emotion unexplored, or even avoided. It feels like we’re being kept at arm’s length from getting into the true elements of Grace and Andy’s relationship, in exchange for a sustained joy throughout the film.

Keaton remains one of the most charismatic actors to watch, and Kunis is a great pairing, believably portraying a father-daughter relationship where she’s angry at how absent he’s been in her life. The joy of seeing them together is what keeps you engaged.

But this is perhaps a film that plays it too safe. Parent-child relationships are complex and are spaces for deep exploration, if we allow it.

Goodrich is in theaters now