And So It Goes(2014)

Description

There are a million reasons not to like realtor Oren Little (Michael Douglas), and that's just the way he likes it. Willfully obnoxious to anyone who might cross his path, he wants nothing more than to sell one last house and retire in peace and quiet. His wife Sarah Beth passed away years ago, so while awaiting his big real estate break, he’s biding his time in the waterfront four-plex building he owns – “Little Shangri-La” – surrounded by neighbors who have formed a close-knit community that he mostly avoids when he’s not barking about how noisy their kids are or taking heat for hogging the whole driveway with his classic Mercedes Benz convertible. Even kindly Leah (Diane Keaton), who persists in inviting Oren to participate in mojito happy hour despite his cranky demeanor, gets rebuffed. His only real friend, fellow realtor Claire (Frances Sternhagen), gets a pass because of their decades-long history and the fact that she can dish out snark and sarcasm as well as he can even when he’s at his eye-rolling worst. Oren’s life gets turned upside-down when his estranged son Luke (Scott Shepherd) appears out of the blue, asking him to temporarily care for the nine-year-old granddaughter (Sterling Jerins) Oren never knew existed. With Sarah (named after Oren’s late wife) literally being left on his doorstep, Oren grudgingly agrees to take her in but quickly pawns her off on Leah, who is too moved by Sarah’s sadness at being apart from her father to balk – at first – at Oren’s absurd expectation that she’ll just handle everything so he can resume his life uninterrupted. But Leah’s got her own path to figure out, trying to find her second act as a lounge singer -- which might bring her more success if she could just get through a set without telling stories of her late husband and fleeing the stage in tears leaving her band, led by doting pianist Artie (Rob Reiner), to fend for themselves. Over time, Sarah’s need for love and affection bring Oren and Leah closer and allow them to see different sides of one another. Initially solely consumed with the prospect of selling his family home to fund his retirement, Oren soon discovers Leah is more than an extra set of hands to help with Sarah. And Leah learns that Oren’s hardened exterior might be just that, with a humanity inside worth trying to break through to. Together, Oren and Leah tackle the funny, joyous, awkward and sometimes intense moments that have become their new reality. And little by little, Oren begins to open his heart – to his family, to Leah, and to life itself - in this uplifting comedy from acclaimed director Rob Reiner.