I thought it was excellent and I disagree wih the reviews. One of the things I LIKED abour it was that the relationship between son and father was revealed without a lot theatrical melodrama and allowed the viewer to unravel the emotions on their own. Duvall was epic, Downey was also great, thev whole cast was. The screenplay was subtle and let me figure things out in my own way, through my own experiences as a member of a family. Why do reviewers want so much extraneous drama when the script itself it so good??