Goodrich

Amid all of his character’s obligations in Goodrich, Michael Keaton’s most important role from a moviegoer standpoint might be as a salesman.

The Oscar-winning actor channels his charm and charisma into an amusing and nuanced exploration of contemporary fatherhood in this otherwise contrived and far-fetched drama about shifting parental responsibilities and fractured family dynamics. His committed portrayal elevates an otherwise mediocre film.

As the story opens, neurotic gallery owner Andy Goodrich (Keaton) is awakened in the middle of the night by a distressing phone call from his younger wife. She’s checked into rehab for a drug addiction and is leaving him. “Take care of the kids,” she says. “You’ll do great.”

Forced to process the shock and with his work-life balance suddenly thrown into turmoil, Andy’s life becomes immediately chaotic, mixing school drop-offs for his 9-year-old twins with meetings to rescue his boutique art gallery that is on the verge of closure after more than two decades.

He reaches out to his adult daughter (Mila Kunis) for assistance and she reluctantly accepts, but she’s pregnant with Andy’s grandchild and still harboring resentment from his workaholic negligence when she was younger.

On the business side, things are falling apart behind the scenes. When he lures a singer (Carmen Ejogo) into entrusting him with her late mother’s art collection, it might provide a lifeline. Meanwhile, he bonds with a gay father (Michael Urie) going through a breakup as his young son befriends Andy’s twins. Gradually, Andy realizes that starting over means letting go, both personally and professionally, and embracing a new normal.

The screenplay by director Hallie Meyers-Shyer (Home Again) offers a predictable mix of humor and heart along Andy’s road to reconciliation and relationship repair.

It’s more compelling in the quieter, character-driven moments while examining a flawed character whose intentions seem genuine even as he struggles to find common ground. Not just throwing it back four decades to his Mr. Mom days, Keaton generates sympathy as he balances external confidence with internal anxieties and vulnerabilities.

As the film probes aging and legacy, the final act veers into heavy-handed sentimentality while tying up its narrative loose ends. While ham-fisted plotting keeps it from being as cathartic or poignant as intended, Keaton keeps Goodrich above water.

Rated R, 111 minutes.