The most personal movie of Robert De Niro’s career: “It died in America”
Any actor looking to make an impression on the film industry would do well to emulate even five per cent of Robert De Niro’s achievements. A true master of the acting craft, De Niro has been considered one of the all-time greats for several decades, ever since arriving on the scene in the late 1960s.
With two Academy Awards to his name for his effort in The Godfather Part II and Raging Bull, as well as further acclaimed turns in the likes of The Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, Cape Fear, Silver Linings Playbook and Once Upon a Time in America, just to name a few, it’s clear to see why De Niro is had heralded as he undoubtedly is.
Looking back over De Niro’s stunning catalogue of movies, it’s always interesting to think about what kind of work he considers his best. However, in an interview with Cigar Aficionado, the legendary actor once admitted, “I don’t like to pick out one best movie. I’m not comfortable doing that.”
What De Niro was comfortable with was picking out the movie that meant the most to him on a personal level. We might think that the likes of The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas or, hell, even Meet the Parents would top the list of the movies closest to De Niro’s heart, but the reality is a very surprising choice indeed.
“I’m not saying it’s the best movie, but it was a movie that meant a lot to me,” De Niro explained before pointing out the special consideration he has for Kirk Jones’ 2009 drama Everybody’s Fine, which also stars Drew Barrymore, Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale, serving as a remake on Giuseppe Tornatore’s 1990 Italian film of the same name.
Discussing the plot of the movie, which in a way explains why it holds just personal significance to De Niro, the actor noted, “It’s about a father who is estranged from his children who takes a road trip to try to reconnect with them.” De Niro had once spoken of his own relationship with his father and how much he meant to him from a personal perspective, so the theme of fatherly reconnection must have meant an awful lot to the legendary actor.
However, De Niro was disappointed with one facet of the movie, even though it was something that failed outside of the narrative itself. He added: “It was released by Miramax a few years ago [2009]. They did a lousy job promoting and distributing it. Miramax was being sold by Disney around this time. It died in America.”
Indeed, one might not have even heard of Everybody’s Fine because of its “lousy distribution”, which is certainly not compared to some of De Niro’s bigger movies. In another interview with Pop Entertainment, De Niro also spoke of how Everybody’s Fine had provided him with a basis to tap into his personal experience.
“Obviously, I related to [his character] Frank and drew on my own experiences like I do in all my parts,” he said. “You draw on whatever’s relevant to the part you’re playing; it makes it more personal.”
We might initially go to some of De Niro’s most acclaimed performances for the prospective movie that he holds closest to his heart, but the truth is that his most personal film came in 2009, the drama Everybody’s Fine.
