"Everything’s Going to Be Great" Trailer: Bryan Cranston Plays a Hapless Theater Dad Chasing Dreams in This '70s-Era Family Dramedy with Allison Janney
Cranston plays a quirky theater manager whose ambition leads his family to a less-than-perfect new life in New Jersey.
We imagine that for a certain generation raised on Malcolm in the Middle, Bryan Cranston will always be seen as that bumbling, goofy, but lovable father. Similarly, for those who grew up with Breaking Bad, Cranston may be viewed in an entirely different light—as a troubled father doomed by his own dark ambition and greed. The Emmy-winning actor has never been one to repeat himself, but in his latest film, it’s fair to say Cranston is tapping into a bit of both of these fatherly performances. The character isn’t as bumbling nor as involved in meth-dealing, but he’s still a bit harebrained, driven by an insatiable ambition that he can’t quite tame.
In Everything’s Going to Be Great, an upcoming family dramedy set in the 1970s, Cranston plays Buddy Smart, an eccentric regional theater manager from Akron, Ohio. When an opportunity arises for Buddy to purchase his own theater in New Jersey, he makes the bold decision to uproot his entire family and move them across the country to chase his dream. It just might be the worst decision the family has ever agreed to, as they soon find New Jersey isn’t quite the dream they imagined. (Oh, really, who could have predicted that?)
While Buddy flounders with his new theater and gets into heated arguments with his wife and business partner (played by Oscar-winner Allison Janney), their teenage boys, Lester and Derrick, also struggle to fit into their new school. Lester, the younger of the two (played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth from The Haunting of Bly Manor), dreams of following in his parents’ footsteps and working in the theater, perhaps even becoming a stage actor someday. Unfortunately, this makes him a target for bullies at school. Meanwhile, Derrick (played by Avatar: The Way of Water’s Jack Champion) wants nothing to do with the theater business and is still angry that he had to leave his girlfriend back in Akron to follow his dad’s cockamamie dream.
“Can you imagine your mother’s face when the money comes in, wow?” we see Cranston’s Buddy having a heart-to-heart conversation with son Lester in the film’s official trailer (watch it above). Already feeling the heat of possibly not succeeding, Buddy tries to hide his anguish from his son before slipping out a bit of truth: "I wish I knew how to do it." To which Lester puts his hand on his father’s shoulder to comfort him and answers, “You will.”
Everything’s Going to Be Great is written by Steven Rogers, the acclaimed screenwriter of the 2017 ice-skater Tonya Harding biopic I, Tonya, for which Allison Janney earned an Oscar for her supporting role as Tonya’s abusive mother. Rogers is also known for creating and writing the 2022 Hulu miniseries Mike about infamous boxer Mike Tyson. We can only imagine that this new film penned by Rogers is perhaps semi-biographical, as it feels like a genuine memory of a childhood that’s anything but ordinary.
Rounding out the cast are Oscar-winner Chris Cooper and Simon Rex.
The film is directed by Scottish helmer Jon S. Baird, who previously directed the Apple original biographical drama Tetris, starring Taron Egerton as the video game entrepreneur responsible for bringing the titular Russian video game into the mass market. (It’s a lot crazier story than you would think.)
Baird is also known for directing the 2018 Laurel and Hardy biopic Stan & Ollie, starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as the iconic comedy duo. Baird also made a name for himself with the 2013 darkly comic crime thriller Filth, based on Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh's novel, featuring James McAvoy as a drug-addled, sex-addicted detective.
Everything’s Going to Be Great is slated to make its world premiere next month at the Tribeca Festival before opening in theaters on June 20th.
Official Synopsis:
There’s no business like show business — for Buddy and Macy Smart (Primetime Emmy® winner Bryan Cranston and Oscar® winner Allison Janney) that means an unpredictable life in regional theater while trying to raise their radically different sons, Lester and Derrick. Through it all, Buddy pursues his unstoppable dreams, and Macy is left to pull it all together and keep the family afloat. As the family grapples with identity and belonging, they share a humorous and heartfelt journey of self-discovery, learning the power of owning your spotlight, no matter what stage of life you’re in.
