Every Day

Richard Levine's 'Every Day' takes a slice of life look at Ned and Jeannie's family life. Their monotonous life is further disrupted when Jeannie's grumpy father, after the death of his wife. Levine tells the story with sincerity but it feels very familiar. It bares some resemblance to movies like 'The Savages' and 'Little Children'. I liked the angle with the teen son who gets lured into sneaking out at night to meet a guy at a disco and yet he's strong-minded enough to refuse drugs. The dynamic between him and his father, especially concerning his homosexuality is portrayed effectively. The struggle between Jeannie and her father is well-depicted. The characters are well-written. The lines are witty and funny but the plot is contrived and very predictable. The Eddie Izzard track felt like an attempt to be quirky and it hardly contributes much to the main story other than providing some comic relief. It's good to see Helen Hunt back. She performs naturally. Brian Dennehy is brilliant and the two child actors are good too. Carla Gugino is spot on. Liev Schreiber and Eddie Izzard are passable.

Overall, it may be a typical slice of life family drama but still worth the watch mostly because of the way it portrays certain themes, sharp dialogue and good performances

I found this piece to ring so true to family life in America today. I loved that it did not sugarcoat how hard it is to raise kids or help aging parents or keep a marriage fresh.

This cast is superb and they have all brought their A game to the screen. They are reachable and poignant and they each have their own agenda that is faithfully followed throughout the story.

I really see this as an ensemble piece and, therefore, don't want to single any one cast member out. They each delved into the details of their characters to bring a real slice of life to us. It was easy to get lost in the writing, the story, and the emotions we can all relate to with the deft ability of the cast and how they were directed.

I highly recommend it.

Great cast in a mostly typical domestic pot-boiler. You could probably write the plot yourself after the initial set-up, and the climax is conventionally contrived to happen all in the same night. Not quite as funny or dramatic as it might have been throughout. The son's homosexuality is realistically handled especially the dynamic between him and his dad. But Eddie Izzard's boss-man lives in a world that doesn't touch reality - even Reality TV. This plot line threatens to de-rail the whole enterprise for me What sort of TV show is this??? Hunt's best line was left on the cutting room floor "It's not porn. It's cable."

"Every Day" may feel a little stale because isn't that how life is supposed to be when everything is the same routine? The family dramedy is an over-worked genre, but this film overcomes the monotony with some clever humour and great performances.

Ned (Liev Schreiber) is just yet another lead character who is having a hard time dealing with his teenage son, losing connection with his frustrated wife, and getting annoyed with his demanding boss. But Schreiber is a good actor, and despite all these rather dull character traits, he made Ned quite likable and enjoyable. The implied depth to Helen Hunt's stressed-out wife, is more than made up for with the wonderfully comedic and sympathetic Ezra Miller. He plays their teenage son who has recently come "out of the closet". Similar to his role in "City Island", he's a scene-stealer with a bright future in the comic drama genre. Eddie Izzard as Ned's demanding boss is more outrageous than you would expect him to be and adds some life to this film about life's problems.

I was impressed enough with the sharp comedy that rose above the flat story lines, and with the accomplished actors who rose above the tedium of the characters, that I can recommend "Every Day". It's independent, but not original, but significantly better than how it comes across.

What if what you thought you were missing in life you already had? A writer for a TV show, Ned (Schreiber) is stuck in a job where his boss demands more and more strange things. His wife Jeannie (Helen Hunt) has just brought her father home to take care of. His son is gay and Ned is trying to avoid admitting it, and his co-worker (Gugino) is another reason his life is spinning out of control. So many movies and TV shows come out that claim to be true to life, or "Reality Shows", they usually turn out to be so over the top they end up borderline spoofing the stars. This is one huge exception. While not being a reality show at all, this is the most true to life movie I have seen in a while. It was depressing in parts, but again because it seemed like they just took a family and watched how they live and made a movie from it, without changing anything. Ned is stuck trying to sort out what his life has become that he finds himself trying to be someone he isn't. This movie is another glaring example of how unless you have a $200 million budget and your movie make $400 million in theaters you will get no recognition or advertising. There are no big name stars in here like Tom Cruise or Katherine Heigle, and because of only casting good actors and relying on script and acting, it gets overlooked. Which is a travesty. I give it an A.

Would I watch again? - Yes I would, but again it would lose some of the effect.