EveryBody's Fine Movie Review - What a Tearjerker!

Robert Deniro (Frank, I'll just say Deniro because I love him!) stars as a father of 4 kids, kids as he calls them anyway, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell and another son who we hear about but never get to meet. His wife and their mother has passed away and he's left alone to take care of the house, and the "kids" who are all grown up now. Maybe its because my dad is alone, maybe its because I'm getting older but this movie was so beautiful and so sad. There are moments in the film where Deniro imagines himself in their backyard talking to his kids as children, but they have the honesty and wisdom of adults. Here, around their picnic table, they are finally honest with him about their lives and how imperfect things are.The film bounces back and forth from that backyard picnic table to real time where Deniro is traveling all around the US to visit his kids and make sure they are all happy and doing okay. The first is his son, who we never get to meet, David. He's an artist living in NYC and has his art in a gallery. Here we learn for the first time how proud Deniro is of his kids and how desparetely they want his approval, so much so that they would lie to him to get it. Then to Kate Beckinsale (Amy) where her and her husband are separated but keeping it quiet. Then to Sam Rockwell (Robert) who lied about being a conductor, and has to be honest about just being a drummer. Then to Drew Barrymore (Rosie) who picks Deniro up in a stretch limo and lies about having a beautiful apartment, and being a dancer instead of a waitress, and being a lesbian, and having a baby.  Through being brutal and heart wrenching honesty with eachother the family finally becomes close again, after they all find themselves in a hospital room.

DO NOT READ FURTHER UNLESS YOU ARE NOT GOING TO SEE THE MOVIE - SPOILER ALERT!!

My favorite part is after the artist has "passed on" he visits his dad in a dream.  There is a running theme throughout the film that Deniro tells David (the artist) when he's a little boy that he shouldn't paint walls because dogs pee on walls. He should be an artist. It turns out that David has kept this with him even as he's grown up, and has even told the gallery curator those exact words and that he wouldn't be an artist if it weren't for his dad. Maybe because of the pressure, David succumbs to drug addiction, and towards the end Davids child self in Deniro's dream sequence tells Deniro that maybe next time he'll just have a regular job like a painter. At this point I was balling all over Martin's shoulder:) You can just see a father's guilt for pushing his son too hard here. Deniro is a genius in this film and the storyline is all too realistic in todays world. Great tearjerker if you're in the mood for a good cry!!