Goodrich, now in theaters, is a comedy-drama that furthers Michael Keaton’s recent cinematic Renaissance — which has included his return tofan-favorite roles like Beetlejuiceand Batman. Written and directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer (and serving as her sophomore effort after directing Reese Witherspoon in 2017’sHome Again),Goodrichfollows art dealer Andy Goodrich as he is forced to step up for his 9-year-old twins when his much younger wife checks herself into rehab for 90 days.
Keaton infuses Andy with wit and sympathy as he navigates primary parenting for the first time, even asGoodrichreflects on his lack of fatherhood credentials in his first marriage (toMultiplicity’s Andie MacDowell). His only daughter from said marriage, Grace (That ’70s Showstar Mila Kunis), ends up being his biggest source of help with his kids, which leads to its own set of problems to confront. For one, Grace never got to experience the present parenting in the ’80s that Andy must now display for the newest generation of his family.
Goodrich Review: A Midlife Crisis Comedy-Drama That Finds Its Heart In Michael Keaton’s Performance
Goodrich gets the most mileage, dramatically and comedically, out of Andy’s personal success, and Keaton’s performance is the key to that success.
Screen Rantinterviewed Meyers-Shyer aboutwritingGoodrichwith Michael Keaton in mindfor the main role, the authenticity that Mila Kunis brings to Grace, and how her own experience with parental relationships influenced the themes of the movie.
Goodrich Director Breaks Down Michael Keaton’s Parenting Journey
“There is no such thing really as a backup parent, and there’s no reward in that.”
Screen Rant: Michael Keaton and Mila Kunis are phenomenal in this film. How did you come up with the concept of Andy Goodrich’s story, and what attracted you to explore the themes of modern parenthood?
Hallie Meyers-Shyer: I think it started, for me, thinking about all of the information we have now parenting-wise in 2024. I thought it would be funny and interesting to explore somebody who parented in the ’80s, who is parenting again now, and what that would look like.
I started noticing a lot of modern families where people were having second marriages and second sets of kids, and I hadn’t seen that onscreen before. The complicated side of that and how that feels, especially for the older siblings. That’s a personal story to me, and I often feel like if something is going on in your life, it’s probably going on in other people’s lives too. That’s sort of where the seed of the idea came from.
Screen Rant: Can you talk to me about the dynamic between Andy and his daughter Grace?
Hallie Meyers-Shyer: Yeah, they really have this sort of push-and-pull relationship. I think fathers and daughters [have] always been a very sweet relationship; more than mothers and daughters on screen, where we’ve seen have these contentious relationships with lots of layers to them. I was interested in exploring the other side of the father-daughter relationship because a lot of women have complicated relationships with their parents, but there’s so much love there and there’s also so much [else] there, really.
I think that that’s what it was about for me, and finding the right people who could go seamlessly in and out of that. Arguing and then going, “Okay, I love you, bye.” A kind of relationship that I think is really true for a lot of kids and parents.
Screen Rant: At the start of this film, Andy’s wife goes to rehab for 90 days, so he’s thrust into being a parent to these two 9-year-olds. In what ways does Goodrich showcase the struggles and rewards of unexpected parenting?
Hallie Meyers-Shyer: That’s a great question. As a writer, I often think about, “Who is the worst person that could be in this situation?” And then that’s what I want to write to. I think Andy Goodrich is the worst person this could happen to because he was the backup parent to these kids, and he has a much younger wife, so I think that they probably had the second set of children because she really wanted to have kids.
I think what he learns by the end of the movie is that there is no such thing really as a backup parent, and there’s no reward in that. When he’s thrust into the situation where he has to be their main caretaker, he sees how hard it is, but also how incredibly rewarding that is as a parent. And it makes him reflect on his entire career as a parent, really.
Screen Rant: I loved watching Andy’s journey and progression throughout this film. Can you talk about his character development from being an absent father in the ’80s to being a present one in 2024?
Hallie Meyers-Shyer: I don’t know that he was necessarily an absent parent. I think it was just more the standard for fathers at the time, and the standards have changed, which is a great thing. In the ’80s, I think he was in and out, but I don’t think he was a bad dad. I just think that those were his working years, and he was building his life and his career, but he had a family and he sort of just tried to balance it all. And I think he probably didn’t do such a great job of that balance.
But now that he has little kids, he really doesn’t have that choice anymore. His career in the movie is coming to an end, and that’s not a choice he’s made. It’s sort of a choice the universe has made, so there’s a lot of reflection that he goes through in this movie. He doesn’t come out the other end as a different person, but I think he realizes a lot of the things that he had along the way that he didn’t know the value of.
Goodrich Throws Multiplicity Fans A Bone By Bringing In Andie MacDowell
“Andie MacDowell is actually friends with Michael, and they have a nice relationship.”
Screen Rant: I lovedMultiplicity, and this is the first time in 27 years that we get to see Andie MacDowell and Michael Keaton onscreen together. Can you talk to me about reuniting the two of them on set together and what that was like?
Hallie Meyers-Shyer: First of all, I’m a major Multiplicity fan myself. Michael is just hilarious in that movie, and it’s such a testament to what a great actor he is because he plays so many different people so well.
When we were looking for the part of his first wife, I thought it might be nice to think about somebody who he has shared the screen with before because it’s very difficult for an actor to come into one scene in a film on a set. We’re all a family, we’ve all been working together, and that was actually our last day of shooting. Andie MacDowell is actually friends with Michael, and they have a nice relationship.
For the audience, you’re just immediately in it with them because you’ve seen them together before. I sort of loved that. It felt like they brought a history to it without me having to do anything for that, so that was really wonderful. They were magic together, and that was really fun to watch.
Casting Mila Kunis Was The Cherry On Top Of Goodrich’s Kismet Cake
“I thought that she really made this character come to life for me.”
Screen Rant: I laughed in this film just as much as I cried. There are some very touching moments in this. How did you balance the humor and drama when dealing with the seriousness of family themes and personal growth?
Hallie Meyers-Shyer: Yeah, tone is such an important thing when making a film like this. I think it’s kind of categorized as a comedy-drama or a dramedy or one of those. It’s just the best thing for me to be authentic the whole way through, just keep that as our mantra, and just keep it real. Keep the comedy real and keep the drama real, because if you get too farcical with the comedy, then the drama doesn’t play as well. If you attempt to be too schmaltzy, then the comedy plays less well.
Michael and Mila are both so incapable of a false move; that’s something that they’re both so talented at. We really didn’t struggle with that because we were all very much on the same page as just staying honest and true. That really created the tone of the movie.
Screen Rant: Michael Keaton is phenomenal. Why was he the perfect fit for Andy Goodrich, and what did Mila Kunis bring to the world of Grace that went beyond the page?
Hallie Meyers-Shyer: I’d written the movie with Michael in mind, so it was always Michael for me. He really helped me create the character of Andy Goodrich because he has a body of work behind him that you can reference so well. I wrote with Michael in my head, so that was really a seamless marriage of actor and part for me.
Once he said yes to the part, which I was really banking on, then it felt like the stars were aligning. Mila came in, and she brought so much to this part that was unexpected for me. It really wowed me. I have also seen her on screen so many times before, but she really brought it in this movie and showed such a strong and vulnerable side at once. I thought that she really made this character come to life for me.
More About Goodrich (2024)
Andy Goodrich’s (Michael Keaton) life is upended when his wife and mother of their nine-year-old twins enters a 90-day rehab program, leaving him on his own with their young kids. Thrust into the world of modern parenthood, Goodrich leans on his daughter from his first marriage, Grace (Mila Kunis), as he ultimately evolves into the father Grace never had.
Goodrich
Cast
When Andy Goodrich’s wife enters rehab, he’s left to care for their young twins alone. As he navigates modern parenthood, he relies on his daughter Grace from his first marriage, ultimately becoming the father she never had.
