Thanks to the powerful performances of the movie’s main three actors, Christopher Walken, Michael Caine and Josh Lucas, Around the Bend is a quirky drama that will make you laugh as it tugs at the heartstrings.
The movie was written and directed by Jordan Roberts and won the Best Feature Film category at the 2004 San Diego Film Festival and the Jury Award at the 2004 Montreal World Film Festival.
At its core, the movie is the story of the estranged relationship between the father, Turner (Walken) and son, Jason (Lucas) and the road trip they undertake to fulfill the grandfather’s (Caine) last request. Of course, it isn’t that simple since Caine has devised a Homer like odyssey for the two in an attempt to get them to confront the causes of their broken relationship.
Although Caine is only in the movie for the opening minutes, he brings charm to the screen the same way he has done in several movies, such as Cider House Rules and Secondhand Lions, and truly owns the scenes he appears in. Caine plays Henry, the grandfather, whose dying request will leave you laughing. Feeling that the Jason needs to forgive Turner and seeing his death as the last opportunity to set that reunion in motion, Caine sends the two men on a sort of cross-country scavenger hunt/funeral by asking them to scatter his ashes at different areas on a map. Each time the men, accompanied by Jason’s son, reach their destination they must observe a certain ritual – eat chicken from Kentucky Fried Chicken. This request does a great job of presenting the characters with odd challenges and helps to lighten the plot, which helps to keep you laughing. The only downside to the story is that Caine couldn’t be in the movie more. He is truly one of Hollywood’s greatest actors.
Walken shines as Turner
Walken, who proves he is the king of odd characters, shines as Turner who arrives out of the blue to see Caine and Lucas, after being gone for years, before catching a bus to Mexico. Throughout the movie, Roberts hints that something isn’t right with Turner and that he is hiding something from his son. By the end of the movie, that secret breaks the heart of the audience that has grown to like Turner. Walken is really great in this movie and handles the Turner character in a way that only he can. You have to laugh when he is asked if he likes horror movies and Walken, giving his trademark grind, replies “sometimes.”Lucas holds his own against the two veteran actors and does a good job playing the straight man to Walken’s eccentric Turner. He also provides some tense moments in the film as he confronts Walken about abandoning him as a child, the death of his mother and Turner’s drug abuse. At the same time he is dealing with the reappearance of his father, Jason must take care of his own son who is dealing with the lost of his great-grandfather. Lucas does a good job of showing a man that is trying to balance a heavy load and do what is right for everyone.
If the movie has any flaws, it is in the Jason character. The movie never really goes into detail about Jason and his son’s relationship or what his life was like being raised by Caine. The subject is touched on lightly, but never at any depth. They also mention that Jason and his wife are in the process of getting a divorce but don’t explain why or how that split has effected his and the son’s life.
Overall, the film’s small problems do nothing to hurt the plot or your enjoyment of the movie. Walken does a great job of keeping you interested in the odd story, and Roberts pacing in the movie keeps it light-hearted. It does get a bit depressing towards the end, as you learn Walken’s secret, but has a great ending scene that lifts you back up.<!--page-->
The film comes with some great special features including several deleted scenes, with optional commentary, that do a good job of expanding on the three men’s relationship with each other and expanding on some of the minor characters. It also has a making of feature that goes into how Roberts wrote the first draft about 10 years ago and went through as many as 30 drafts before he began filming it. He also talks about how the final draft of the movie was slimmed down which allowed it to go into production quickly. Lucas talked about how he wanted to have a true family feeling between him and the actor that plays his son. Caine discusses how the script’s unusual approach to the subject of death was one of the reasons he and Walken wanted to do the movie. Caine said he was intrigued by the way the script was brutal about death, but in a very funny way.
The movie won Best Feature Film category at the 2004 San Diego Film Festival
The features also include the film’s theatrical trailer and a spotlight on the soundtrack for the film’s music. The music in the film, which includes tracks by Bob Dylan and Fleetwood Mac, add to the overall feeling of the film and does a great job of helping the story.
"Around the Bend" is in stores now in the US and available via Amazon ; no UK release date as yet.
Further details in our database , you can also read the original movie review on this page.
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