Movie – Around the Bend

Around the Bend (2004) – Henry Lair (Michael Caine) wants to bring his scattered family back together.  His plan involves a trip in a VW mini-bus with his estranged son (Christopher Walken), bitter grandson (Josh Lucas) and great-grandson (Jonah Bobo).  The trip will take them back to a pivotal, legendary moment in family history and reveal some buried answers along the way.

This is a kind of a buddy movie, a kind of a road movie, a kind of a “quest” movie.  It’s also a kind of a mess.  There’s a kind of surreal feel to all the action, like it’s not quite real.  That can work when it’s an integral part of the concept.  I don’t get the feeling that it is here.  Consequently it only kind of works.

All of this loosely based on director Jordan Roberts VI relationship with his indie film director/lunatic/criminal father Robert Stone Jordan.  The movie may have gotten lost in those personal issues.

The audience liked this more than the critics but not enough to put much money down for tickets.

Why I Liked It – Watching really good actors having fun with interesting roles that aren’t like everything else out there is always fun.  Watching Caine and Walken fence through their characters familiar issues is watching great artists weave their magic.

Why You Will Like It – The interplay among the different generations of men in this family will suck you right in.  Caine and Walken and young master Bobo create an intimate, intricate web of relationships that are worth the price of admission.

Rating – R for language

Rating – *** Worth A Look