Andy Goodrich (Michael Keaton) is the kind of wealthy Los Angeles type who can delegate his duties to others. He owns a small art gallery, sleeps in a spacious house, serves 31-year-old whiskey to his guests, and has a housekeeper/nanny who mainly looks after his two young twin children. So you can imagine his shock when, in the middle of the night in the film's opening scene, he gets a call from his wife, Naomi (Laura Benanti), telling him she's not sleeping in the bed next to him. She's just checked into rehab for a prescription drug addiction he didn't know about. Not that it actually matters. None of us can imagine the impact.
With such horrific wealth, one might think that the life crises depicted in "Goodrich" would quickly become unbearable. But writer-director Harry Meyers-Shyer's comedy holds enough weight to cast a truly endearing, vivid spell.
In this sequel to the awe-inspiring romantic comedy "Home Again," starring Reese Witherspoon and a character also dealing with upheaval in her personal life, Meyers-Shyer has a lot going for him. As you might expect, Andy is a terrible husband and father. Ninety days after Naomi disappeared (almost as long as the film), Naomi finally learns about her nine-year-old children, the quiet Morse (Jacob Kopela) and the precocious Billy (Vivian Lyra Blair). Though Mr. Goodrich hides the truth about his mother's rehabilitation, he regularly attends teacher conferences, learns about his mother's allergies, and hosts movie nights. He also forms a close friendship with Pete (Michael Urie), the gay father of a classmate of the children who suffers from epilepsy. Meanwhile, his pregnant daughter from his first marriage, Grace (Mila Kunis), watches wistfully as Andy becomes the father he still isn't to her.
Andy has spent most of his life ignoring his family. Instead, he devotes his time to his art gallery, which is now struggling to the point of foreclosure. His greatest hope is to impress the daughter (Carmen Ejogo) of a recently deceased artist and secure her fortune. The gallery bills are mounting, the kids' private school is glamorous, and the housekeeper is a bit sassy. These aren't issues on the other side of the tracks. And yet, these issues are so emotionally meaningful that you're caught up in them, too. Who isn't afraid to lose it all?
Keaton is used to playing older men with a lot of regrets (Knox Goes Away), and here he finds a bit more room to flesh out his character. He plays Andy as a hardened rogue whose likability makes you overlook his flaws. That's why his "aha moment" when he realizes he needs to be a better father, similar to Robin Williams' revelation in Mrs. Martin in Doubtfire, was so comforting. The movie is available on Theflixtor website.