Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sweet movie about quirky family loses its way; cursing, sex.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Everything's Going to Be Great
What's the Story?
In EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE GREAT, it's 1989, and the Smart family runs a small theater in Akron, Ohio. Buddy (Bryan Cranston) is the enthusiastic father, proud of living his dream even if his family struggles financially. His wife, Macy (Allison Janney), supports his schemes, even if she seems to have lost a little of her own identity along the way. Older son Derrick (Jack Champion) is more interested in football and girls than in theater, but his younger brother, Lester (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth)—who despises his name, "Les Smart"—lives for theater. Ghosts of theater legends like Tallulah Bankhead, Noël Coward, and Ruth Gordon visit Les and give him advice, and, when he needs it, the cast of Hair turns up to help him outwit someone who's bullying him. Then Buddy gets a call offering the deal of a lifetime: If the family can turn a profit during the summer in a New Jersey theater, they'll get a five-year contract and, for the first time, not have to worry about money. But more challenges lie ahead.
Is It Any Good?
This dramedy is quite funny in its first half, but when it takes a maudlin turn, it loses its sense of pluck, and the situations get less natural, feeling more shallow and strained. It feels like Everything's Going to Be Great writer Steven Rogers and director Jon S. Baird are trying to recapture some of the snap of Rogers' I, Tonya—which won Janney an Oscar—and Baird's endearing Stan & Ollie. And for a while, they nearly succeed. The movie's first half has a spirited energy that's infectious, especially the funny bond between Buddy and Les (particularly their too-early-in-the-morning bagpipe sessions). We're ready to follow this family straight to victory—or to disaster, whichever it may be.
But when the movie turns and things get serious, the weight drags it down. And, at only 95 minutes, the movie doesn't have time to dig deep, so the character explorations feel perfunctory, more automatic than organic, like a screenplay written by a computer. It's disappointing. But there may still be enough here to sway at least theater lovers over to its side, especially with its raucous renderings of well-loved show tunes. But for most viewers, Everything's Going to Be Great will likely be ... less than great.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Everything's Going to Be Great depicts sex. Is there consent? Communication? Why is that important?
How are teen drinking, smoking, and drug use depicted? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
How do characters demonstrate communication? How could they improve their communication skills?
How is the world of theater typically portrayed in the media? Is this film consistent with that? What makes theater so magical to so many people?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 17, 2025
- On DVD or streaming : July 11, 2025
- Cast : Benjamin Evan Ainsworth , Bryan Cranston , Allison Janney
- Director : Jon S. Baird
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Arts ( Music and Sing-Along )
- Run time : 95 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language, some sexual content/partial nudity, and brief teen alcohol use
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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