I never heard anything about this film so must assume that it never had a UK release, but what a curious, quirky movie it was -- I nearly said "delight", but that would be the wrong word since it mixed sorrow with joy. For a start (and this is not really a spoiler) Michael Caine dies within the first fifteen minutes, shortly followed by the family dog. But this is all a device to bring together three generations of his family during a road trip to carry out his last wishes. The family consists of Caine's grandson whom he has raised (Josh Lucas), Lucas' son played by a wonderful child actor called Jonah Bobo, and Christopher Walken as Caine's son and therefore Lucas' father who did a disappearing act some thirty years previous. On the one evening that the four generations have together, Caine insists on their dining somewhere "special" and takes them to his local Kentucky Fried Chicken! And KFC figures large in the following action. Gradually we learn more about Walken and the life he has led and the film is as much about forgiveness as it is about love. All of the actors bring something special to the table and one feels good, even when ones eyes are misting over.
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2 comments:
Hi Pat. This is the old board and both your signatures work OK. Like the write up.
I thought Walken gave a better performance than any he has perpetrated since
'The Deer Hunter', one which possibly exceeds even that, which was a pleasant
change from the increasingly mannered cameos of recent years.
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