Hey folks, Harry here... this is one of the early films out of Warner Bros' indie label, WARNER INDEPENDENT PICTURES. I believe their first film that'll be hitting theaters is the brilliant BEFORE SUNSET - which believe it or not is actually better than the original - and I love the original. Now - this is a test screening review for AROUND THE BEND and overall it is positive, but ultimately the film didn't set right with the reviewer at the end, but that could have to do with being a rough cut, the temp soundtrack and the pacing not being fine tuned yet. With the actors and talent involved, I'd still like to check it out, but it seems it needs a tad of work left to be done. Here ya go...
I went to a test screening of Around the Bend tonight in Los Angeles. This is the debut film of writer/director Jordan Roberts, a dramedy about fathers and sons. Michael Caine is the grandfather to Josh Lucas. From what little we see of Caine and his room, he is quite a character. Christopher Walken plays his son, who suddenly shows up after getting a letter from his dad whose health is failing. Walken left Lucas at a young age, so Caine was the one who raised him. Lucas also has a young son, so Caine is pleased that their 'tribe' is finally together, and takes them all to dinner at KFC. Walken plans to leave on the bus the next day, but Caine dies, and has left explicit instructions how Walken and Lucas are to spread his ashes. This is all in the first 20 minutes. The rest of the film follows Walken, Lucas, and Lucas' young son played by Jonah Bobo, as they follow the mysterious path Caine has laid out for them, which includes dining at various KFC's.
I was hoping there would be flashbacks of Michael Caine's character, since he is onscreen all too briefly. The same for his nurse played by an almost unrecognizable Glenne Headley. Walken is funny but also shows his acting chops, turning in a fine performance. Josh Lucas is good in the role, but I kept thinking that he could've done more with it. When you are between two acting powerhouses like Caine and Walken you have got to step up your game, and Lucas doesn't suck, but he isn't quite up to their level. Jonah Bobo is cute, ornery, and has the big eyes thing down, reminded me of Liam Aiken in Stepmom.
There are nice moments sprinkled throughout the film, but mostly I didn't care. The desert scenery is pretty, and the shots look good, but can we get on with it already? The film itself is kind of like Josh Lucas' performance--good, but I wanted more meat to it. I think they wanted to make a film that guys could go to and get all teary thinking about their own relationships with their dads but it falls short of that. Some areas of the film are vague, like Lucas' separation from his wife, and in that first twenty minutes I kept wondering what direction the movie was going as the tone was all over the place. For me, it was fun to watch Christopher Walken sink his teeth into this role, like he did in Catch Me If You Can, but otherwise the movie is an empty shell.
Fudgehammer
