‘Goodrich’ Stars Michael Keaton And Mila Kunis On The Balance Of Careers And Parenting

Michael Keaton and Mila Kunis have no doubt starred in their share of big-budget films or high-profile TV shows before, whether it be Keaton in Batman, Birdman or Beetlejuice and its new blockbuster sequel —or Kunis in such films as Bad Moms and Oz the Great and Powerful and of course, the classic TV series That '70s Show.

The great part about Keaton and Kunis' career choices is that the size or visibility of the project doesn't dictate their creative choices. Quite simply, a great script is a great script no matter the size of the budget, and both actors found greatness in director Hallie Myers Shyer's new indie comedy-drama Goodrich.

"Hallie talked to me about this a while back and I knew she was really talented, and I thought, "Yeah, I haven't done a movie like this in a while and it's sometimes pretty simple, right?" Keaton, along with Kunis, told me in a recent Zoom conversation. "When you read something and it's well written, it's hard to not do it because you would think a lot of scripts are well-written and they're just not there. There just aren't that many."

Since Keaton was on board with Goodrich, Kunis said her decision to join him in the film was easy.

"I mean honestly, I think that this one was a no-brainer for me. I came in after Michael but for me to work with him was a dream and so I was like, 'This is a win-win," Kunis enthused. "It's a beautiful story with a beautiful director and I get to work with Michael!"

Keaton stars as Andy Goodrich in Goodrich, which opens Friday in theaters nationwide.

Goodrich is a once-successful art gallery owner with an eroding career whose life is thrown into complete turmoil when he gets a harried call from his wife, Naomi (Laura Benati), about her addiction issues. Worse yet, Naomi lowers the boom on Goodrich by saying that she's not only checking into rehab, she's leaving their marriage, too.

Left to care for their young children alone, Goodrich suddenly depends on Grace (Kunis), his adult daughter with his ex-wife (Andie MacDowell). While Grace—who is on the verge of having her first child—is gracious in helping her father at first, old resentments eventually bubble up to the surface because he wasn't nearly as present for her as he is to his younger children since he was always consumed by work.

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Goodrich marks the second film from Hallie Myers Shyer—the daughter of revered filmmakers Nancy Myers and Charles Shyer—and she couldn't believe that Keaton and Kunis reacted so strongly to their script.

"The truth is, I didn't know Michael and I didn't know Mila, but I am a strong believer of 'If you write it, they will come,'" Myers-Shyer told me in a separate Zoom conversation. "I really feel like that there's not so many people writing these kinds of parts for actors where they get to be fathers and husbands.

"And for Mila, the chance to play a mother-to-be and a daughter and a wife—these are the kinds of things that we all have in our lives," the filmmaker added. "But they come with a lot of meat. It's complicated. These relationships are nuanced and that's really what I wanted to explore."

Keaton And Kunis Admire Each Other's Approach To Parenting

The bonus for Michael Keaton and Mila Kunis in Goodrich was—while the actors were playing out the scenario of a complicated relationship between a father and a daughter—it gave them the opportunity to reflect on their own lives as parents; especially in the entertainment industry where performers always seem to be on the move.

"Well, I don't mean to speak for her, but when it comes to family, they are down with it," Keaton said of Kunis' family life with her husband, Ashton Kutcher and their two children. "I mean, I can just tell you that's as important to them as their careers."

In turn, Kunis complimented Keaton—who has an adult son—on his family priorities.

"I really respect the way that you always talk about your family," Kunis said, looking at Keaton. "I do think that there is a culture when it pertains especially to men in any industry and it doesn't have to be this one. It's never celebrated when men talk about family in a way of it being the top priority. I think that that has drastically shifted recently and [motioning to Keaton] I like the way that you talk about your grandkids. Everything about it is just so sweet and so endearing."

Myers-Shyer Says She Didn't Think About 'Mr. Mom' While Making 'Goodrich'

Michael Keaton has amassed nearly 100 roles throughout his illustrious screen career, which includes the 1983 classic comedy-drama Mr. Mom.

Directed by the late John Hughes, Mr. Mom stars Keaton as Jack, who after being laid-off from his jobs switches roles with his wife, Caroline (Teri Garr), and stays at home to take care of the kids while she re-enters the workforce.

Yet while Keaton's Goodrich is left in the care of his two children in Goodrich, Hallie Myers-Shryer said the narratives between Goodrich and Mr. Mom couldn't be any more different.

"It's almost hard to read an about Goodrich where they don't mention Mr. Mom, but we never spoke about it and I never thought about it while making the movie," Myers-Shyer said.

But while the filmmaker didn't talk with Keaton about the story of Mr. Mom the movie, Myers-Shyer did have questions for the film icon about the filmmaking experience given who was behind the camera.

"I loved that movie and, you know, sometimes Michael and I would talk about it only because I really wanted to know John Hughes stories from him because as a writer and a director, he's one of my all-time favorites," Myers-Shyer said.

If anything, the writer-director said, it was interesting to see Keaton in a unique parent role separated by four decades.

"I think that subliminally we thought about [how Goodrich] is a nice bookend for Michael," Myers-Shyer observed. "But really for me, it was more just the familiarity of seeing Michael on screen as a dad in the '80s and now seeing him again as a grown-up parent to two different generations of kids. That's really what made me feel like he was the right person for this and also his ability to do comedy and drama."

If there's any connection, narratively, between Mr. Mom and Goodrich, it reflects how far things have come from the then-unique scenario presented in Mr. Mom 41 years ago.

"A man [staying at home to care for the kids] now doesn't mean anything," Keaton said. "But when we did that movie back then, it was ahead of its time."

Goodrich is opening Friday in theaters nationwide.