"Around the Bend" tells of a father (Walken) and son (Lucas) whose lives cross after 30 years apart as the death of their patriarch (Caine) draws near. The body of the film is a road trip which they take, leaping from one Kentucky Coronel Fried Chicken restaurant to another, following the quirky instructions of the dearly departed whose cremated remains are scattered one spoonful at a time as the long estranged men seek reconciliation of old regrets. "Around the Bend" has some worthy sentiment buried in a heap of inconsequential filler, a few poignant moments which break through the monotony of developing characters who are quirky for the sake of quirkiness, and some solid performances which almost overcome the everpresent snippets of corny C&W music. Those who don't mind paper thin plots, many contrived moments, drama diluted with overtones of silliness, and lots of filler may be able to buy into the bittersweet stop and go story. Others will be sorely disappointed to see good performances and camera work wasted on such a flimsy story. (C+)
Review of Around the Bend
