Around the Bend is one of those low-budget, Independent, film festival-spawned character studies, that despite being undeniably mediocre has somehow managed to attract a cast that makes it worth watching. Written and directed by first-timer Jordan Roberts, Around the Bend has just enough innocent charm (thanks in large part to an impressive cast) to get a distribution deal, where so many films of it's ilk never see the light of day beyond Sundance.

Around The Bend is a title that is an apt description of the mental state of the Grandfather of the family that the film explores - a loopy Michael Caine who has spent his life excavating the ruins of American Indian culture. Caine is near death and in the care of his grandson (Josh Lucas) his 10 year old son (Jonah Bobo) and a nutty nurse (Glenne Headley) an Armenian transplant who spends all of her spare time watching cheesy slasher flicks.

Caine (wholly unable to disguise his British accent) regards his family as a tribe, and through the use of a little Shaman hocus pocus has managed to summon his long-absent son (Christopher Walken) who has been out of the picture for nearly 30 years. Walken, the father of Lucas, left when he was two years old, following the fatal car accident of his wife. Hold on though, because, as you might expect, there's more to the story. As far as his son knows, Walken fell into a heroin tailspin after the accident that also left his son with a permanent limp.

Much to the delight of Caine and the misgivings of his son, Walken shows up at the doorstep of his family's home. The circumstances of Walken's life during his long absence remain a mystery and when asked Lucas is no more inclined to suddenly fill in the blanks of 30 years of parentlessness. The boy, is of course, fascinated by the return of his grandfather and willing to forgive all and his pure and plucky performance is one of the best things about Around The Bend.

The best thing about this film is the fact that is offers a full-blooded performance by Walken, and his fans will be cheered to see him in something a little more meatier than extended cameos that they're used to. The film gets rolling when Caine passes away in a KFC after leaving behind a series of treasure hunt-like clues in an ever diminishing series of KFC bags. From here on in, Around The Bend becomes kind of a Da Vinci Code with the holy locales being a string of KFC restaurants.

Caine's intent is to bring the remnants of his tribe together by sending them on a cross-country mission, not only to disperse his cremated remains, but to uncover the secrets of their dysfunctional life, and hopefully bring about the mending his boys stand so desperately in need of. The revelations that ensue from all of this are not terribly compelling, not do they make for particularly good film-making, but I will say they were interesting enough to hold my interest.

Along the journey Lucas is irascible and impatient, his son eager but increasingly homesick and as for Walken he gets a chance to unleash his patented brand of inscrutable wisdom and charm as well as some bizarre dancing. Dancing that bridges the gap between the American Indian, the deadhead and the fanciful jazz interpretations made famous by his performance in the Fatboy Slim video.

The film eventually unravels under it's great expectations and the big reveals that the KFC bags hearken us toward don't pan out to be any great shakes. Still a road movie is a road movie and it is made all the more watchable because of a great score by David Baerwald. The point of the sojourn is dig up old wounds in the hope that they might be addressed and salved, and in case you didn't catch the metaphor, the old VW Van they embark in has the word "Dig," spraypainted on it's side. In all fairness the leads all do a pretty solid job of acting their way through this sentimental journey, unfortunately the whole treasure hunt doesn't amount to anything terribly worthwhile.