It's no surprise that any family counting Christopher Walken among its number is going to be bordering on the dysfunctional.

And so it goes with the Lairs, a bizarre sort dominated by the male line, which includes Michael Caine as the dying great-grandfather who has one last wish.

Torn apart by the car crash that robbed him of his daughter-in-law and saw his son Turner (Walken) driven to drink and eventually jail, Henry (Caine) wants closure.

To this end, he distributes clues and maps among Kentucky Fried Chicken bags, presents them to his great-grandson Zach (Bobo) and pegs it over a formica KFC table.

Joining them on their subsequent road trip is Turner, who has suddenly appeared on the doorstep after walking out on the family decades before.

Piling into a decrepit VW Camper, the three generations - Zach, his dad, set off with Henry's ashes on board and a map telling them where to stop and scatter them.

Heading into the mythical American Desert Southwest, the trio are driven by a sense of loss and a nagging curiosity about what the old man really wants.

This is one for the off-the-wall file with a decidely surreal feel leaching in the narrative and a dialogue that sometimes self-consciously jars.

However, if you stick with it, there's a rewarding pay-off as well as excellent performances, particularly from the criminally underrated Lucas.

OK, we could have done without the barking Danish geriatric nurse with a thing about horror movies and couple more wilfully zany touches.

But, when Around the Bend comes full circle, it's strangely touching in a low-key kinduva way. A small enchantment.

Tim Evans