On Blu-ray October 16th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment!

The last line of the synopsis says; “…everybody will be fine in time for a Christmas reunion!”, so when I got my Blu-ray screener copy of Everybody’s Fine in the mail the other day, I really wasn’t in the mood to watch a Christmas movie during the month of October.  You see, I only watch Christmas themed movies in December, because, obviously, they put me in the Holiday mood. But I took a chance and rolled the dice, and ya know what? I had nothing to worry about…it’s not a Christmas movie at all! Everybody’s Fine is a dramedy, leaning more towards the drama end of the spectrum. This movie is TOTALLY De Niro’s show…and he’s BRILLIANT as Frank Goode, the widowed patriarch of a loving, dysfunctional family (aren’t they all?)…

In the beginning of the film, we find Frank mowing the lawn, filling the pool and grocery shopping…buying steaks, a new grill & fancy wine for a family reunion with his now grown-up kids. Well, everyone cancels on poor Frank and so he decides, against his doctor’s orders, to go on a road trip and surprise each and every one of them.

It’s planes, trains and automobiles for De Niro

His visit to his children doesn’t go as planned and Frank soon learns the truth about his family, played by Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale & Sam Rockwell. It’s a bittersweet story that could have easily gone in the sappy, predictable direction, but with De Niro at the helm, giving one of his finest performances, Everybody’s Fine will make for a nice evening viewing…but bring tissues. Speaking of performances, there’s not one bad apple in this stellar cast. Really great work by everyone involved.

“You lookin’ at me?!”

The 1080p High Definition picture is razor sharp with nice color saturation. As I mentioned, this is a road trip movie, so every mountain, diner, tree & power line looks fantastic. Lionsgate Home Entertainment, as usual, really did  a nice job on this one. The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound is nice and clear as well, the surround speakers came to life here and there when needed, but this is a dialogue heavy film, not a Bruce Willis blockbuster, so all-in-all, yes, the Blu-ray is just fine.

Barrymore & De Niro toast to fine performances

The disc’s special features includes deleted and extended scenes and the making of Paul McCartney’s “(I Want To) Come Home”, which was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song!

In closing, if you are a fan of De Niro’s (like me) you’ll really feel for Frank Goode…and you’ll find yourself swept up in this nice little family drama. Everybody’s Fine will be available on Blu-ray and DVD on October 16th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Christmas came early.