Pretty, but lightweight
Jon Broxton | Thousand Oaks, CA | 01/18/2010
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Everybody's Fine is a rather belated English-language remake of director Giuseppe Tornatore's classic 1990 Italian film Stanno Tutti Bene, which was scored by Ennio Morricone; this new version is directed by Kirk Jones and stars Robert De Niro who, having been recently widowed, decides to make up for lost time and sets off on a road trip intending to re-connect with his estranged children Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell.
Dario Marianelli's score for Everybody's Fine adopts a similarly whimsical tone to its illustrious predecessor, with light woodwind, piano, string and guitar writing to accompany Frank on his journey of self-discovery and reconciliation. Cues such as "Frank's Journey Begins" and "Telephone Poles" are warm, pleasant and pretty, with softly romantic orchestrations and a light, agreeable tone; the delicate woodwind writing in "Leaving New York" is also quite delightful. Cues such as "Trains" and "Hole in One" are slightly perkier variations on the same set of orchestrations, playing up the comedic aspects of the story a little more vibrantly, while cues such as "You Will Become an Artist", "Why Did You All Lie to Me?" and the touching "A Hospital Visit" are slightly more dramatic and melancholy, often making use of a subtle synth tone under the acoustic instruments to create an almost subliminal mood of sad reflection.
Once in a while Marianelli even uses a solo child's voice to add another layer of thoughtful pathos so the music. The prominent emotional content of the score rises slightly towards the end, beginning in "Some Nightmares", and reaches its zenith in the lovely finale of "David's Painting" and "Christmas Together". In the bigger scheme of Dario Marianelli's career Everybody's Fine is a lightweight, throwaway score, with nowhere near the orchestral sophistication or thematic strength of scores such as V for Vendetta, The Brothers Grimm, Pride & Prejudice, Agora or Atonement; nevertheless, it's still a charming 34-minute diversion that makes for pleasant listening, and is an ideal example of Marianelli's softer, more lyrical side."
Misleading
Greg Sullivan | Australia's South Coast | 01/27/2010
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I made the same mistake as others here seem to have done. Prior to the soundtracks's availability - All of the publicity regarding the "music" in this film was based around the fact that it included a new McCartney Song. I imagine most of the sales for this item will be be accounted for by Beatles and Macca collectors who pre-ordered it before being made aware of the reality. Most disappointed. My copy will be offloaded to a 2nd hand C.D dealer as soon as I get the chance - No doubt for some ridiculously cheap remuniraion. Beware !"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1