Everybody's Fine (PG-13, 2009)

Director Kirk Jones' adaptation is surprisingly affecting, given how overly sentimental, predictable, and downright ridiculous it sometimes is. For all of the plot's maudlin trappings, any parent in the audience will be able to relate to the way that Frank repeatedly sees each of his grown-up kids as the children they once were (each is played by a child actor several times throughout the film) -- even as they speak like adults. It's a sappy gimmick, but it still gets you -- how widower Frank is trying really hard to relate to his kids as the independent adults that they are even as he desperately wants them to need his guidance and protection the way they did when they were younger. The conceit is most effective in a dream-like sequence in which Frank confronts the younger versions of his kids with the truths he's gleaned from his trip but didn't have the courage to bring up in real life.

De Niro is believable enough as a curmudgeonly retiree who expects the best from the kids he worked so hard to support, and Barrymore is especially radiant as Rosie, who's obviously the closest to her dad. Rockwell's segment feels rushed, but it includes most of the movie's humor, as does the bits between Frank and his grandson Jack (Lucian Maisel), who's a far better golfer than his swearing grandpa. The irony that Frank spent his entire career protecting wires that help people communicate when he seems to have such trouble communicating with his family isn't exactly subtle. But just when you're is sick of all the wire imagery, a painting David made in tribute to his father makes them all worth suffering through -- be warned, a Kleenex could come in handy.