July 18th, 2014 
James Shotwell 
Film: And So It Goes
Starring: Michael Douglas, Diane Keaton
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner has made an art out of telling simple stories with relatable characters. In a time where every film tries to be bigger and more extravagant than the one that came before, Reiner’s work exists to remind cinemagoers that the only thing a movie needs to be a hit is a good story with a few solid laughs. Big name stars help, too, of course, but they’re not a prerequisite for success.
And So It Goes is the latest work from Reiner, and like many of the filmmaker’s recent projects it deals with the experiences one encounters during latter half of life. Michael Douglas stars as Oren Little, a widower real estate agent who is trying to escape a painful past he refuses to deal with by essentially cutting himself off from the outside world. He’s considered mean and generally unpleasant to be around by essentially everyone who knows him, and Oren does not mind that fact in the slightest. He’s perfectly content to live out the remainder of his life alone, and once he makes a little more money he can finally abandon his tiny apartment and escape to the cabin in the woods he and his now-deceased wife spoke of living at for many years. That is, until his son shows up with a story about an impending jail sentence and a daughter he needs someone to look after. Oren turns them away at first, but his son refuses to take no for an answer, and soon Oren’s plans for escape become derailed by the presence of a granddaughter he never knew he had.
On the other side of this romantic affair is Leah (Diane Keaton), an aging single woman who is still clinging to her lifelong dream of one day becoming a professional lounge singer. She performs at a local restaurant during the week, but like Oren, she struggles with facing issues in her past to such an extreme that it makes it almost impossible for her to connect with the outside world in any kind of meaningful way. I don’t think Leah ever thinks of Oren in a positive light before we see them interact on screen, but their characters are well aware of one another’s existence by the time the audience arrives on scene. They live side by side, if you can believe it, but until Oren finds himself saddled with a granddaughter he was unprepared to raise their relationship is barely more than a few mean phrases thrown in between sarcastic remarks.
Sarah (Sterlin Jerins), the girl whose left with her grumpy grandfather, arrives just in time to show Leah and Oren that they both have a lot of life left to live. For Oren, this means teaching him that it is okay to love again, and more importantly that it’s necessary for him to allow others in if he ever hopes to be happy himself. For Leah, it means learning to see past Oren’s rough exterior to appreciate the tender and loving man within. Sparks fly not long after arrival and, without giving too much away, things eventually play out the way these kind of films tend to end.
It may seem impossible to believe, but And So It Goes marks the first time Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton have shared the silver screen. Both have been active in Hollywood for decades, and according to Reiner both have long wanted to work with the other, but it wasn’t until this project from writer Mark Andrus came to life that the opportunity presented itself. Their chemistry onscreen is pitch perfect, which adds an enjoyable layer of authenticity to the film that breathes life into the rare, but present dull moments when exposition falls flat. I don’t know if the two will ever share the screen again, but I certainly hope they do, even if it’s just for a few brief lines.
There is a lot to love about And So It Goes, but if you’re looking for any kind of epic story, be it romantic or otherwise, you will likely leave the theater feeling more than a little underwhelmed. The story told in this film is a very simple and classic one that no doubt has been presented a few dozen times in the past, but it’s handled with such precision and skill that you’re able to forgive its shortcomings because of the feeling you’re left with when the credits begin to roll. There are no deaths to mourn or murders to solve, but instead you have a celebration of love and life, as well as the continuing curiosity of the human mind, which is a refreshing change of pace for a summer riddled with big budget, low emotion action.
I would not recommend And So It Goes to my closest friends, but that is only because the majority of them are still well within their twenties and admittedly are unable to appreciate the subtle beauty of two people discovering young love at a later point in life. That said, I will most definitely recommend this film to my parents, grandparents, and every fan of classic cinema that I know in between. Rob Reiner has positioned himself as the Michael Bay of feel-good romantic comedies, which makes And So It Goes the Transformers: Age Of Extinction of contemporary adult cinema. If that sounds like something that might appeal to you, by all means, make it a point to see this film in theaters. If you’re still on the fence, wait for VOD and see how you feel then. It’s not the kind of story that requires a big screen viewing experience, but if people do not support films like this at the box office even less will be made, and we desperately need more films like And So It Goes at the cinema today. People don’t want effects, they want stories, and Rob Reiner has delivered one with this film that all ages and races can appreciate.
GRADE: B-
Review written by: James Shotwell Follow @utgjames
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