Everybody's Fine : Movie Review


When did Robert De Niro become such an old man? In Everybody's Fine, he plays Frank, a lonely recent widower trying to get his three grown children to visit for the weekend, and as we see him puttering around preparing for their visit ? cutting the grass, readying the barbeque, asking grocery store clerks for wine advice. This intimidating goodfella completely recedes under this mountain of paunch and wrinkles.

This is Robert De Niro's best performance in years ? admittedly faint praise considering that recent years have been littered with Righteous Kill and What Just Happened ? but this is a truly strong, subtle performance. It is fascinating to watch him play a man who so wants to appear content that he completely internalizes his pain. Watching him work here serves as a reminder that when he feels like it, he can be one of the best screen actors of all time. Like Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt ? a film Everybody's Fine slightly resembles ? this is a case of a veteran actor shedding the lazy shtick he had grown dependent on and challenging himself.

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Author : Will Sloan