For some life imitates art, while for others it is the inverse – they find solace in filtering their own perspectives, challenges and existential quandaries into the work they produce. This is something that we find Steven Rogers, a very gifted writer, exploring in the form of Everything’s Going to Be Great, in which he and director Jon S. Baird (a fantastic journeyman filmmaker who has been at the helm of some terrific films over the years) tell the story of the Smart family, led by patriarch Buddy, a wildly ambitious theatre producer who has committed his life to the art and found a kindred spirit in his wife Macy, with whom he has two sons – the theatre-loving Lester and the cynical Derrick, who could not be more different. When they are given the chance to move from their home in suburban Ohio to New Jersey to take on the management of a bigger theatre (with the possibility of growing even larger should this new endeavour be a success), the family makes their way to their new home, and discover that a new opportunity does not necessarily guarantee a fresh start, especially when the ghosts of the past tend to accompany us on these journeys. A bittersweet, compelling blend of comedy and drama that explores themes that are often much more complex than we would imagine based on our first impressions of the premise, the film is a wonderful glimpse into the trials and tribulations of a family who have always been intent on following their own paths and moving in their own unique directions, but eventually discovering that they may not always have the same destination in mind, which can either be the source of conflict or cohesion, depending on their perspective. It’s a fascinating character study that is as meaningful as it is captivating, proving to be one of the year’s most endearing and compelling works.

Everything’s Going to Be Great is a film that makes its intentions very clear from the outset, and there is never a moment where we feel as if this film is being too unfairly complex or contrived, even when it can tackle subjects that are very familiar to us. The heart of this film is family – the story follows a quartet of individuals, each one undergoing their own bespoke existential crises and who are struggling to see their dreams realised, who just so happen to be bonded to each other. It is in this dynamic that we find Rogers making some fascinating and endearing observations, since the core of this film – or at least the starting point – is to examine who these people interact with one another, particularly in desperate situations where they each come to terms with the reality that life is not going to go in the way they expected, even if there are still some wonderful surprises to be found in the process. Added onto this theme is that of arts – Everything’s Going to Be Great is as much a tribute to family as it is a love letter to theatre, and while it may skirt around the edges of exploring Broadway, it does pay sufficient homage to regional theatre, something that is not always widely discussed in a lot of contemporary works, despite it arguably being the lifeblood of the industry. Most people have their first encounters with the medium through regional productions, and while the film doesn’t go too in-depth into the mechanics of putting on these productions, it does examine exactly what it means to connect with the arts in a deep, complex way. These two very different ideas are brought together through a story that ultimately examines smaller subjects such as loss and the challenges that come when dealing with broken dreams, something that will be familiar to many viewers, offering us a perspective into the lives of these ordinary people that none of us can ever truly dismiss as anything other than extremely resonant.

Anchoring this film and giving it a distinct sense of time and place is a quartet of actors, each one of whom is perfectly suited to the roles, to the point where we have to wonder whether Rogers wrote it with them in mind. This certainly seems to be the case for Allison Janney, the writer’s longtime friend and creative collaborator, who takes on the part of Macy, a woman who grew up in relative poverty in rural Kansas, and always sought a better life, something that she hoped her ambitious and spontaneous husband would be able to provide. He certainly did, but not in the way that she would expect – and paired with Janney is Bryan Cranston, who delivers one of his absolute best performances in a decade (I’d even declare that this is his best on-screen work since Breaking Bad), primarily because the film is guided by a director who knows exactly how to harness Cranston’s unique persona, helping him find the truth in a complex character while also being able to reign in his more bombastic qualities, something that many find particularly peculiar with some of his more over-the-top performances. Both Janney and Cranston are doing exceptional work, refusing to resort to the same techniques we usually attribute to them, and finding the nuances in these fascinating characters. The two younger actors are played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, as the reserved and quiet theatre-lovely Lester, and Jack Champion as the brooding Derrick, two characters who are consistently at odds with one another on the surface, but deeply care for their sibling, knowing that ultimately they will become the only person on which they can truly rely. It’s a terrific cast, and while none of them are doing particularly unique work, and instead seem to be formed from very clear archetypes, they still leave a profound expression, shepherding Everything’s Going to Be Great away from cliche at every opportunity and embracing the deep sincerity lingering beneath the surface of this very charming and heartfelt film.

At first, Everything’s Going to Be Great seems to be quite conventional, a quirky comedy with a few downbeat moments that exist to add nuance to the story. However, the film does go to some very dark places throughout, to the point where we eventually struggle to even comprehend the existence of the humour-laden first act. There is a lot of tragedy in this film – some may even consider some narrative decisions to be outright cruel – but it all serves a purpose, having a sincerity and complexity that allows the film to challenge certain ideas through provoking deep, heartwrenching conversations on the nature of family, identity and the challenges that come when navigating a hostile world. It would be foolish to say the film is entirely immune to heavy-handed emotions, since it would be nearly impossible to explore some of these themes without being at least partially overwrought, something that becomes quite clear as the film progresses and we see beneath the surface, understanding exactly what it is that makes it so incredibly compelling. Baird does have a tendency to draw out very strong emotions, but has enough skill to exercise the appropriate amount of restraint, never going too far in the pursuit of what he sees as being a story much too important to entirely dismiss the emotional content, which is as important as the narrative and how the characters develop. It is important that viewers recognise that Everything’s Going to Be Great is not going to follow a very traditional approach in terms of how it lays out its fundamental themes – there is actually a heartbreaking twist midway through that entirely derails the film we thought we were going to see, and allows it to evolve into something entirely different. It’s not surprising that certain decisions were made, since there was a consistent sense of melancholy flowing through this film, which ultimately becomes less about the story and more about the ideas embedded within, something that is exceptionally well-executed throughout the film.

Everything’s Going to Be Great doesn’t appear to be all that daring at a glance – it functions less as an innovative piece of cinema, and more as a poignant, deeply meaningful examination of a range of themes, some of which are more serious than others. However, what it lacks in originality it more than makes up for in heart and soul, which seems to be the exact intention, and one of the many reasons behind this film being amongst the year’s most delightfully moving, heartfelt gems. It’s a poetic exploration of family and everything that it represents, handcrafted by a director whose commitment to this material is clear from the outset, particularly in how he allows Rogers’ lovely screenplay – which sparkles with wit and melancholy – to speak for itself. The performances are tremendous, and have an honesty and sincerity to them that gives the film a genuinely moving spirit, the kind of heartfelt family drama that touches on deeply sad but also profoundly hopeful themes, in the pursuit of some deeper understanding of the human condition. There are some harsh truths that these characters have to face – the inevitability of loss, the importance of being flexible with your goals, and the sometimes challenging ways in which life leads us to tempt fate. It’s a beautiful film, one that oscillates between outrageously funny and extremely bleak – but there is always hope lingering not far out of view, something that these characters come to learn as they face these various challenges. Poignant, funny and heartbreakingly honest, Everything’s Going to Be Great is a true treasure of a film, and well worth the time of every viewer.