Everything's Going to Be Great

The film’s climax arrives when Buddy finally lands the coveted five‑year contract for a Milwaukee theater, only to collapse moments later and die from a heart condition he had ignored. His sudden death forces the remaining family members to confront the roles they have been playing for years.

Macy, who has long felt like a supporting character in Buddy’s grand vision, is shaken by the loss and by the secret she kept with Kyle, an aspiring actor she briefly slept with. The affair, witnessed accidentally by Les, becomes a silent wound that the family chooses not to expose at the funeral, allowing everyone to focus on Buddy’s final achievement instead of his flaws.

In the aftermath, the Smart family relocates to Macy’s estranged brother Walter’s house in Kansas. The move thrusts Les, the younger son who idolized his father and dreamed of the stage, into a town with no theatrical life, while Derrick, the older brother who has always measured himself against Les, must navigate high school dynamics and his own insecurities. A new friendship with a bold local girl, Selena, gives Les a chance to explore his identity without the heavy expectations of his father’s legacy.

Through a series of confrontations—a public fight at school, a heartfelt moment when Les hands his mother a Bible as a birthday gift “from Buddy,” and quiet scenes of the brothers finally listening to each other—the family begins to untangle the knots of blame, envy, and unspoken love. Derrick recognizes his own worth beyond the shadow of his father, and Les learns empathy for his mother’s loneliness and for his brother’s struggles.

The closing moments show the family poised to travel to Milwaukee, the opportunity that Buddy secured. This not only promises Les a shot at the acting career he has chased all his life but also signals that the family, now more honest with one another, can carry forward Buddy’s dream without the weight of his unfulfilled ambitions. In the end, the title feels less like a forced optimism and more like a quiet affirmation that, after loss and mess, the Smart family has finally found the space to be great together.

Last Updated: October 13, 2025 at 19:16