It looks like this movie got panned by a lot of reviewers for taking a familiar plot (dying character wants to gather family together before suicide) and does nothing miraculous or stunning with it.
I enjoyed the movie. Susan Sarandon and Sam O’Neill rarely disappoint, and the ensemble supporting cast did a credible job. There is a lot of humor, some of it dark humor by the dying character, and a strong script overall, in my opinion. Even the supporting characters are well-developed - no two-dimensional stereotypes that I could identify.
I guess my standard is a bit lower than some of the elite reviewers I read on another website. I want to be entertained and not have my intelligence insulted. Check and check.
As a side note, I watched this movie just after seeing The Goldfinch. Maybe I should have re-watched Bird Man and completed the avian trifecta?