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Parents' Guide to

Everybody's Fine

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

De Niro's dysfunctional family drama is touching but mature.

Movie PG-13 2009 95 minutes
Everybody's Fine Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 13+

Based on 5 parent reviews

wonder dove
wonder dove Adult
August 21, 2013
age 13+

Okay for families 14+

Everybody's Fine was a pretty good watch, though a bit dull and depressing. I mainly watched it for the excellent cast but their acting was nothing new. Main actor Robert De Niro was wonderful. In short, it's about a windowed father named Frank who tries to arrange for his 4 grown children to come visit him for Christmas because he's not supposed to travel due to health issues. Every one of his kids cancel the visit so Frank plans to surprise them by showing up unexpectedly to each of their houses, except for one, his son David who he cannot contact or get information about through any of his other kids. They lie about what's really going on in their lives because they fear he will not be proud of them. Continuing to make up excuses for their dad not stay longer than a day he soon feels there's something wrong, something they are hiding. When Frank starts to head home, he has a heart attack on the plane due to losing his much needed medication from an earlier incident where he got mugged. He wakes up in a hospital where his 3 children are waiting so they can tell him the truth about David. Yes it's sad and the whole story feels depressing because Frank is so lonely after losing his wife. Language is strong for a PG-13 rating with several f-words, sh*t, Jesus, d@mn & hell. Violence is mild but includes a mugging of a man after a good deed has been done, some arguments involving children in a dream sequence, a character dies. Sexual content is mild with a prostitute who approaches Frank but he declines - she jokes about showing off her leg, references to a woman liking women, light flirting. Smoking seen and talked about, reference to a character buying drugs and overdosing. No real good messages here. Okay for families with 14+ kids due to strong language.

This title has:

Too much swearing
TimTheTVGuy
TimTheTVGuy Adult
October 21, 2012
age 7+

Great movie for the whole family!

Nice,warming movie for the WHOLE FAMILY.My parents cried while we watched this movie.
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

A remake of the Italian film Stanno Tutti Bene, EVERYBODY'S FINE chronicles the cross-country journey that widower Frank (Robert De Niro) embarks on when none of his four adult children is able to visit him for Christmas. A proud blue-collar retiree, Frank is alarmed at how evasive and tight-lipped his kids are, even though he knows they used to confide in his late wife. His artist son, David (Austin Lysy), is nowhere to be found when Frank stops in New York; when he arrives at his advertising-executive daughter Amy's (Kate Beckinsale) manse in Chicago, he reconnects with his tween grandson but is disappointed when Amy says they're too busy to host him for a long stay. So it's on to Robert (Sam Rockwell), whom Frank thinks is an orchestra conductor -- but he's in fact a percussionist who claims that he's about to leave on tour, so he passes his dad off to the baby of the family, Rosie (Drew Barrymore), supposedly a Las Vegas dancer. During each of Frank's awkward visits with his kids, it becomes painfully clear that something is amiss with each -- and that there's a disturbing reason that David wasn't home. But tragedy could lead to opportunity for Frank and his family.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (4 ):

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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's lesson about parent-child relationships. Which of Frank's children seems to have the healthiest relationship with him? What about his grandson, Jack? How do secrets and lies affect Frank and his kids?

  • How does this film compare to other holiday family movies? Why do holiday movies often seem to feature families in distress or with relationship problems?

  • How does the movie portray sibling relationships? Is it believable that Frank's children would keep such important aspects of their lives a secret from him but not each other?

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