So far from fine

“Everybody’s” Frank Goode is the kind of elderly man that casually brags about his kids’ successes as if you brought it up.  

Frank (Robert De Niro) worked all his life to watch his children achieve their dreams, but all of them have remarkably kept their dad in the dark for years about their true jobs and marriages all so that he could remain proud.

He learns all this when he surprises them at their homes, and one by one, they lie to him.

First, there isn’t enough characterization here to paint Frank as a convincingly demanding and pressuring father. Even if there was, the extent to which this family has deceived Frank is completely unrealistic.

But what’s worse is the way in which this story seeks to resolve itself. Instead of growth, family bonding and understanding, it takes not one but two tragedies before the kids decide to stop lying.  

Here’s my moral to the story: If you know a movie sucks, lie to your dad so he’ll buy the ticket.