Everything’s Going to Be Great: A Misguided Theatrical Journey

"Everything’s Going to Be Great,” is a film that may make you scratch your head regarding its title. It's a bit too optimistic, possibly suggesting things in the movie probably aren't as great as one would expect.

The movie presents a family of four, consistently traveling from one town to another in their weary station wagon. As regional theater producers, they strive to chase where the work is despite the evident inconsistency. This is where viewers may start feeling a bit disoriented - isn’t regional theater supposed to be produced locally?

Each family member seems to come from a different world, making the viewer wonder how they all ended up together. Buddy Smart (Bryan Cranston) is the brain of the operation, not minding where the next pay will come from as long as he is part of the theater. Macy, Buddy's wife, originates from Kansas and she hasn’t fully let go of the small-town Christian girl persona she grew up with.

Their children, Les and Derrick, couldn't be more different from one another. Les is a theater-addicted middle-schooler who is openly gay, while Derrick, his older brother, is a regular football-loving jock lacking any interest in the theater.

The storyline feels like it’s an inflated sitcom trying to pass off as a cinema material. Wacky situations fill the screen, like discussions about sexual inclinations and playing bagpipes on their lawn early in the morning. There are cringe-worthy sing-alongs while on the road and other antics that rather baffle.

"Everything’s Going to Be Great" was directed by Jon S. Baird and written by Steven Rogers, whose previous works range from widely-loved to cheesy. While the movie attempts to draw influence from successful family-centric films like "Little Miss Sunshine," it falls short with its half-baked arcs and scattered ideas.

Bryan Cranston shines through in his character even amid the film's cornball broadness. The narrative takes a serious turn when Macy leads the family back to her Kansas roots, throwing the eccentric theater-oriented setup into stark contrast against mainstream values. Despite the irrational decisions Macy makes, the film asks viewers to simply roll with it, emphasizing capricious unpredictability as its main reality.