Everything’s Going to Be Great

Connecting with the characters in Everything’s Going to Be Great might hinge upon sharing their affinity for belting out show tunes at regular intervals.

For others, the eccentricities and dysfunctional dynamics that drive this heartfelt crowd-pleaser about a theater family with big dreams feel more forced than endearing.

The scattershot result benefits from a strong cast, although the film never feels anchored around a specific idea or theme long enough to generate a deeper emotional impact or earn its time in the spotlight.

It’s set in 1989, when Buddy (Bryan Cranston) is a free-spirited actor and regional theater owner in Ohio struggling with the financial realities of show business. While Buddy’s unbridled optimism fuels bigger goals, his pragmatic if supportive wife, Macy (Allison Janney), seeks stability.

Oldest son Derrick (Jack Champion) is an aspiring football star who just wants to chase girls, while younger son Lester (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) shares Buddy’s passion as he daydreams about fraternizing with idols such as Tallulah Bankhead and Noel Coward.

Buddy and Macy argue about money, religion, and an uncertain future. Meanwhile, their mutual adoration of the theater keeps them together but also threatens to tear them apart.

“You have to dream bigger than you are and you have to find work that you love, and then you bring that love into work with you,” is among Buddy’s elliptical pearls of wisdom.

As they chase opportunities in different states, the family’s journey becomes as much about belonging and self-discovery, both individually and collectively.

As directed by Jon Baird (Tetris), the film overflows with nostalgic charm — the family drives a wood-paneled station wagon, for crying out loud. But two significant twists in quick succession cue an awkward transition into family melodrama, turning the second half into a completely different movie.

The tonally uneven screenplay by Steven Rogers (I, Tonya) generates some scattered laughs, especially for moviegoers with a common passion for Broadway and some of its iconic figures from yesteryear.

However, amid all the platitudes and sentiment, it hints at a coming-out or coming-of-age saga in which Lester is supposed to embrace his uniqueness and queer identity, yet tends to emphasize broader quirks and stereotypes over meaningful development.

Adopting the same scrappy idealism as its characters, Everything’s Going to Be Great is strained in an effort to fulfill its titular ambition.

Rated R, 95 minutes.