Review of Around the Bend (2004) by James H — 12 Oct 2004

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Ok, so I went to see Around the Bend which I knew about since it was shooting down in New Mexico when I was there, not because of some mega-page ad buy in the NY Times, etc...and I went to check it out because I'm a big Christopher Walken fan, although I'm also pretty partial to Michael Cain--er, SIR Michael Caine.

And I was skeptical, I mean, there wasn't a huge BUZZ around this movie, certainly nothing generated by the press (the NY Times review was pretty unflattering, for example, but then again, there were other equally POSITIVE reviews--so I was intrigued).

But something drew me in, past the damn ticket taker and towards the sixth row, slightly to the right where I usually sit, and I waited in the darkness for this mysterious picture to unfold.

And here's what I saw: a road movie, a 70's road movie with HEART. That was it, that's why the reviews had to be so mixed, because most movies these days are just vehicles of hipsterism, and it seems like very few actually unfold with the heart and patience of the great 70's movies of yore, the 5 Easy Pieces, the Two Lane Blacktops, the Easy Riders.

In short, Around the Bend was a really, really pleasant surprise. A couple in their early twenties in front of me were into it, an old guy with thick glasses behind me was glued to the screen.

So, the movie's not perfect, it's got some funky edges, but in the end it's got HEART and a lot of charm and it is undeniably revelatory in the end.

The only thing I can conclude regarding some of the mixed reviews, ala the Times review which almost pushed me away from this flick, is that this is a movie about men, men's stories, four generations of men. And the reviewer from the Times, and I think another fairly dismissive reviews I'd seen were written by women.

Am I wrong? Am I straining for something? Dunno, I can't for the life of me figure out what they didn't see in this movie....Walken is great by the way, a real dimensional character, not a cameo as he's often relegated to in most flicks...

So, anyway, my two cents here from a friendly neighborhood civilian; I guess the moral of the story is, if you want to see a movie with heart, a movie that isn't just posturing hipsterism, then see Around the Bend. If you want meteors, gore, etc, then this won't be your movie.

:fresh: :up: