Goodrich is a gently comedic drama directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer. With Michael Keaton in the lead, it’s a return to the premise of his classic, Mr. Mom.
Andy Goodrich ( Keaton ) is a self-absorbed, overworked businessman who hasn’t even realised that his young wife is suffering from drug addiction until she calls him from rehab. His wife’s absence forces him to be more involved with his young kids, while trying to bond with his older, pregnant daughter from his first marriage ( Mila Kunis ) as he enlists her for advice and support..
Set in the rarefied, affluent world of Los Angeles’ art scene, Meyers-Shyer is asking a lot of her audience by expecting them to empathise with her characters. Luckily, Keaton is as reliable as ever and carries the weight of the film’s intensely irritating milieu. It’s a bit of a slog getting through a fair bit of the overlong Goodrich , a film that is clearly in love with itself, but there are some genuinely funny moments along the way.
The kids in question (Vivien Lyra Blair and Jacob Kopera) are precocious without being too annoying, but a fair portion of the rest of the cast are on the wrong side of the “adorable” and “flamboyant” spectrum. This is not helped by an intrusively sentimental and over-obvious score. If you’re a fan of Keaton , he’s worth watching here, but it’s not the best film in his catalogue, and if you’re looking for an undemanding way to spend an evening, then Goodrich will do.
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