[4] Oren Little (Douglas), a realtor by trade, develops self-absorption, turning his back on his neighbors and shunning the notion of kindness to others.

His next-door neighbor, Leah (Keaton), whose own husband has likewise died, never had any children of her own, which leads her to throw her soul and her tears into reviving a singing career that had stagnated.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 18% based on 90 reviews with the consensus: "And So It Goes aims for comedy, but with two talented actors stuck in a half-hearted effort from a once-mighty filmmaker, it ends in unintentional tragedy".

"[12] Christy Lemire of Roger Ebert.com also commended the caliber of Douglas' and Keaton's performances, but gave the film 1.5 stars for its storyline, saying: "Nothing here is a spoiler.

[14] While a review in The Guardian is happy to see "retirement-age characters" being featured in a film, it criticizes the "banal" plot, saying: "the story structure is so fake and so plodding".