A good friend of mine sent me a list of recommendations for films I hadn't seen for this blog. He and I have similar tastes in films (Field of Dreams excluded, sorry, dude.), so I figured it was high time I heeded his call. I went with 2004's Around the Bend. What a surprise. The story of a single father, his son, his grandfather, and eventually his father (yes, four generations of men in a relationship story) is an awkward one to tell, but the filmmakers pull it together in a wonderful way. This is basically (I mean this in the best possible way, not as an insult at all) a Steel Magnolias for men. The relationships are complex and go in many different directions, there is anger, confusion, joy, almost the whole emotional gamut is run here. The grandfather's plan to bring the estranged men in this family together is crazily brilliant. No spoilers here. Do not be mistaken, this is not a chick flick for guys. This is a blueprint for male bonding.
The cast is wonderful. Josh Lucas plays the recently separated father, giving just the right amount of exasperation to the role. He's trying to keep what's left of his family together, while adding the new relationship with his estranged father to the mix. Christopher Walken plays Lucas' deadbeat dad, newly replanted in his life by the invitation of his father, Lucas' grandfather. The ever-present Michael Caine is the grandfather, and does his usual great job.
One part road trip, one part comedy, one part drama, and a whole lot of father/son bonding, Around the Bend is a really enjoyable movie. This one slipped by me (and a whole lot of other people) when it was originally released as an arthouse film (on 4 screens in the U.S., apparently), but it has a whole new life on home video. do yourself a favor, and check this one out if you're in the mood for something different, and very entertaining. Thanks Branden! 8.25/10.
See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!
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