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38 out of 42 people found the following review useful: Prodigal Family, 18 October 2004 Author: Jenn Brown from Austin, TX
I picked up on AROUND THE BEND for the actors, in particular Josh Lucas, one of the underrated actors of his generation. With Michael Caine and Christopher Walken also in the cast, I was further intrigued. After catching it at the Austin Film Festival, I can't recommend this movie enough. If you've ever had to make peace with a prodigal family member -particularly a parent- and a grandparent who manipulated matters make reconciliations- this story will resonate deeply. Jason (Lucas) lives with his ailing grandfather Henry (Caine), and son Zach (Jonah Bobo), and a live nurse. When Jason's father, Turner (Walken) suddenly shows up, we instantly learn of abandonment and a lot left unsaid. Henry insists on a road trip, and everyone declines; Henry settles the matter by dying just after planning it with the help of Zach. Using Kentucky Fried Chicken as a metaphor for plastic living, the three survivors start out on a journey of discovery and ash-spreading. The expected dark secret and bonding occurs, but it's a journey worth exploring with these three.The cast is excellent, and have great chemistry; the only shame is that due to the storyline, Caine had so little time on screen. Bobo is absolutely amazing as young Zach; he gets as much done with a glance and a head move that veteran actors hope to accomplish; this kid is someone to watch for in the future. The soundtrack is outstanding, relying on 8 track music which really sets the mood without ever overwhelming, and only a few original piano based pieces by David Baerwald. All in all, story and structure it's a well made film. This is not a male chick flick. It's about family, and reconciliation, even when someone isn't perfect. Writer/Director Jordan Roberts was inspired by his own father/son story when writing this. AROUND THE BEND has a good balance between humor and heart, and more than worth your consideration.
27 out of 34 people found the following review useful: Perfect gem of a film..., 21 September 2004 Author: scotforever from Los Angeles, CA
I absolutely loved this film, it is everything that a film can be. the only minor flaw, which was un-noticeable to the friend that i saw it with, was Michael Caine's accent drifting across the Atlantic. But you didn't really care. It is perfectly cast, brilliantly acted, and you believed in and cared for the characters, they are so human with their natural flaws, you are rooting for them all. The story is fascinating, and it will strike a chord with anyone with a father, particularly anyone estranged from their father. It is funny, witty, charming, touching and delightful. See it with a loved one...you shouldn't regret it.
24 out of 29 people found the following review useful: Explores family relationships w/great depth and sensitivity., 15 October 2004 Author: Lori College (lori-college) from Florida, USA
Christopher Walken and Josh Lucas are incredibly believable in their rich portrayals of a father and son who have been apart for many years and brought together by an eccentric grandfather's wish for a family reunion and an emotional scavenger hunt. Newcomer, Jonah Bobo is superbly natural in his role as Zack. The story is heart-warming and heart-wrenching at the same time, reminding us that while we don't choose our families, we can choose to love and accept them in spite of the damage we do to each other. We can indeed learn from the mistakes of those who go before us and pass on the best of the previous generation leaving our mark on the next generation.This was a great movie, with a great soundtrack - a real father-son coming of age story without any saccharine!
24 out of 34 people found the following review useful: If this is the last movie you ever see, than let it be this one., 16 October 2004 Author: Dana Belcher (dana1@ptd.net) from NYC
Wrong . . .Wrong . . .Wrong!!!! Anyone who is reading the less than perfect reviews and makes a decision to not see this film is making a very big mistake. We all know how political the economics of film reviews are and this movie proves it. I am a 40 year old male who sees this as a "mans" movie. This is about the issues that all sons have with their fathers to one degree or another; and it has a great plot with as much humor in it as it does have the seriousness of male issues and bonding. Come on guys, you all know what I am talking about. So for all those who call this a chick flick, your wrong too! Both men and women will definitely leave this film with a big smile on their faces and will agree with me that the admittance ticket was worth every penny!
19 out of 25 people found the following review useful: Tradition and Family Forgiveness, 26 October 2004 Author: FoxieLayd from Orlando, Florida
This movie was definitely true to life. It made you laugh, it made you cry and it made you think. And wow, what a cast. Michael Caine, Christopher Walken, Josh Lucas and little Jonah Bobo (I see great things from this youngster in the future).You can see the indifference right way when Jason (Lucas) calls his grandfather (Caine) and his estranged father (Walken) by their first names. Grandfather Henry's joy with the return of his son Turner and the family together again is short lived when his son announces he's only staying the night. Determined to bring the family back together, he plans a 'burial' trip that all family members, his son; his grandson and his great-grandson, must partake in as terms of his will. This is where the road to discovery begins.If anyone has had family situations that need to be rectified in order to bring the family back together, this film will most assuredly put the spark in your heart to do so.
29 out of 45 people found the following review useful: Possibly prejudiced, but passionately pro, 10 October 2004 Author: dbaerwald (dbaerwald@mveg.com)
I was the composer on this film, and while I recognise that that fact may taint me as blindly partisan on its behalf, I still have to say that A) I have never seen audiences respond with such obvious affection and warmth towards anything that I've ever worked on, (even including my terminally unemotional engineer, who actually cried, something I never expected in a million years that I would ever see, and doubt that I will again. ) and B)... Just give it a chance. If you hate it, so you blew 20 bucks and a couple hours. feel free to send me a nasty email, and if you make a convincing enough case, maybe i'll personally refund your 20. I doubt I'll have to. This is a wonderful film, made by the kind of person and for the kinds of reasons that we all need to support, if we care at all about what we do, and how it affects people. And I mean people, not industry professionals. See it with a civilian audience, as a human being, and you will be rewarded. This is a splendid movie, and Walken is stunning, and this is one where you just have to take the big city critics with a grain of salt. This movie was not made for them. It wasn't made for professional opinion makers. It was made for you. And yes, I may be prejudiced, but I don't think so. David Baerwald
13 out of 14 people found the following review useful: Beautifully told story, 28 April 2005 Author: thecomputersaysno from Edgbaston, England
Extremely touching road movie around four generations of males whose relationships have become fractured in the past.It's not made completely clear at the start, but Michael Caine is the great grandfather, Christopher Walken is the grandfather, Josh Lucas the father and the charming Jonah Bobo as the grandson. The family are reunited and Caine's character tasks them with a request in his will that his ashes be scattered near his favourite fast food restaurants throughout picturesque New Mexico (bizarre product placement).Walken had disappeared from the family unit, with some resentment from all, and returns to the family and finds himself agreeing to fulfil his father's wishes. Throughout the journey, the family bonds are re-established and a gradual understanding of the characters grows and their past revealed.This is a beautiful story, told at a gentle but entrancing pace, is truly moving and I recommend it highly. It's not very long, but within Walken is given great time and space to truly demonstrate his talents.
12 out of 14 people found the following review useful: One of the best movies ever, 10 October 2005 Author: amarigautreau from United States
This is a wonderful movie, beautifully acted by Christopher Walken, Michael Caine and Josh Lucas...it's funny, droll, touching....a great character study. I don't know why it didn't get more notice. I've always thought Christopher Walken was a fine actor...this movie made me see him as brilliant. I truly loved it. The story is based on the relationships of 4 generations of men in one family; from the grandfather - Michael Caine - to the six-year-old son of Josh Lucas.This is the story of so many families and my favorite line is Michael Caine's to his grandson, Josh Lucas, about Josh's 'broken' father, Christopher Walken: "I carried you, you carried me, we need to carry him." It's what families do. I loved that.
10 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Mindblowing surprise, 29 May 2006 Author: Tubular_Bell from Porto Alegre, Brazil
I can't give this movie a perfect score, which I reserve for classic, Earth-shattering movies that may truly change one's ways of watching movies. But I give this a high nine, and as it stands, this is one of the very, very few movies that I could watch dozens of times more without ever feeling tired, and wanting more. This is a gripping, fearless movie that instead of drenching itself with tears and syrup, it grips you and plays with your feelings as if it owned you. You'll have to be willing to be taken over, of course, but once you do, you're in for a ride.Honestly, I find it a bit banal to label this as a "road movie". To me, it's a genuinely comical family drama. I had great laughs with this movie, the way it was written and directed, and with the actors' performances, but especially because it wasn't aching to be a comedy. Nothing here looked contrived and forced, and none of the events, no matter how unexpected, felt like it didn't belong there. And we're talking about one interesting plot here. I suppose you can find a good synopsis of the movie elsewhere, so I'd rather settle on the review proper here, instead of giving details of how the movie goes. Suffice to say, it's a powerful story, intelligently written, cleverly paced, directed and acted with talent and care. You see, most times I demand a film to have content, something interesting to say, which this movie certainly has. But I was also delighted and entertaining by the way the movie was told. Being this Jordan Roberts's first effort, I think it's a particularly impressive one.As for the actors, you must know them by heart, and if you're a fan of any of them, you won't be disappointed. Yes, Caine's present in only a fifth of the movie's length, but it's a memorable performance alright. Christopher Walken is the main force in the movie, and I really enjoyed his performance and his character, Turner. Lots of fun. Josh Lucas's character, Jason, isn't as immediately striking, but he's quite intricate, and the performance here is just spot on. And of course, the big focus isn't on either of them exclusively, but on their relationship. I just wasn't expecting to be so utterly amazed by Jonah Bobo, though! I was already familiar with his work on the children's cartoon The Backyardigans, doing the voice of my favourite character, no less. But to me, at least, he stole the scene almost every time; even when he didn't say a thing, for he could show only with his facial expressions, his movements and everything else, his character and what he was going through, in particular how curious he was about Turner and how attuned he was getting to him, and vice versa. It's worthy to mention how, in the "making of" documentary, we see he's a playful, intelligent and happy kid, and that he can switch into another kid entirely, wholly absorbed by the movie, with so much ease. I can't say the movie couldn't possibly be anywhere below "okay" with Jonah in it, and yes, I'm aware Caine and Walken are in it too. But the movie isn't just about that. It's much more. And if people can give up their resistance and make themselves ready for a thrilling, shameless emotional ride, this is a movie I can recommend. It's short, yes, but if you feel it's too short, just watch it again.
5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Loved it, 14 May 2006 Author: joekea from Ireland
I found this in a video store and with the great cast (not always a good indicator!) and the list of awards won I took a chance on it being good. As is often the case when you have little expectation you are most pleasantly surprised. I thought the characters were wonderful the setting and photography beautiful and the soundtrack really made it. There are also nice little touches where an item seen in a passing shot has a connection to something later in the film.The only weakness I felt was Josh Lucas in the role of the child's father. It was hard to make any genetic connection with the characters played by Michael Caine or Christopher Walken. It's not that his acting was poor he just didn't seem to fit in. Please try and see the movie - I doubt that you'll be disappointed.
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