AND SO IT GOES – Not as Good As It Gets, but Good

by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

And So It Goes marks the first on screen collaboration for film legends Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton 

I think of myself has someone who keeps up with pop culture and has no problem enjoying things aimed at a younger audience, but I have to admit, when I was given the choice between seeing Diane Keaton & Michael Douglas in a Rob Reiner comedy or attending the screening of Red Band Society, which looks like a good new show on Fox, aimed at the The Fault in Our Stars audience, which included free refreshments, Q&A with the cast and giveaways.  I unequivocally chose And So It Goes,  because I feel comfortable with these actors.  Keaton, Douglas, Reiner, although much older than I am, feel like old friends and I couldn’t wait to be in their company.

And So It Goes is about Oren Little (Douglas) a somewhat cantankerous widower who still runs a real estate agency in an affluent Connecticut suburb, Oren walks around with the swagger of a privileged rich, white male, but like most after the bottom fell out, is not doing quite as well as he used to, making him determined to get every penny out of selling his family estate.

Perhaps purposefully, art imitates life, as Oren’s son, (Like Douglas’ own son) because of or in-spite of a privileged up bringing, has screwed up his life with drugs. The one thing he’s done right is produce an adorable 10 year-old daughter, Sarah (Sterling Jerins), who Oren meets when his son drops her off at his doorstep, as he’s leaving to go serve time.

Leah (Keaton) (click for Diane Keaton interview on Youtube) is a semi-professional chanteuse singing in her sweet, but reed thin voice, at a small bistro in town.  She’s also Oren’s neighbor.  As with all rom/coms, no matter what the age of the couple, there’s plenty of friction, which leads to heat, which leads to disappointment and misunderstandings.

The movie features a cast of other assorted neighbors of “Little Shangri La” the apartment complex Oren owns and has taken up residence while his house sells. One of the tenants is a pregnant Yaya DaCosta (Alafia), an actress on the rise who I got to interview (click for post) last summer, when she truly was pregnant. Yaya is currently set to play the late Whitney Houston in Angela Bassett’s upcoming TV movie.

And So It Goes  is written by As Good As It Gets screenwriter Mark Andrus, only it’s not as good as what we got from that movie.  And, no offense to Michael Douglas, but he can’t hold a candle to Jack Nicholson when it comes to playing a crusty, but charming old guy still trying to win the girl. Still, this movie is sweet, watchable and feels nicely familiar –  And So Go To See It … or wait for the DVD.