Everyone thinks Ron Howard is just a studio hack, but there's actually a very personal thread running through his work: protagonists who must succeed or fail under public scrutiny. Apollo 13, EdTV, Frost/Nixon, A Beautiful Mind, Pavarotti, Eight Days a Week, Cinderella Man...

Each character is dealing with a kinda standard hero's journey, but the added pressure of doing it under a microscope is often a big part of the story.

I have to imagine this is connected to his life growing up as a child/teenage star.

Even in his other movies, there are moments that reflect this dynamic. The most memorable scene in PARENTHOOD, for example, when Steve Martin has to entertain a party full of rambunctious children on the fly. Talk about a life or death situation.

Growing up famous, you learn to please your public, so Howard has spent his career making crowd-pleasers. Not gonna say he is a "great artist," but to dismiss his filmmaking as rote or impersonal feels off. He has followed his obsessions, and that's what I want from a filmmaker.