Kirk and Michael Douglas appear in film together for the first time as a father and son charting their family through choppy emotional waters.

Mitchell Gromberg (Kirk Douglas) is the revered patriarch, now disabled by a stroke, who increasingly relies on his wife Evelyn (Diana Douglas) for support.

Cameron Douglas plays grandson Asher, a slacker, small-time dope dealer while Rory Culkin - brother of Macaulay - is the relatively sane younger sibling Eli.

From what everyone can gather, the only issue Eli has is his propensity to forgo pocket money for an invoice itemising his weekly expenses.

Caught in the middle is liberal lawyer Alex (Michael Douglas), married to shrink Rebecca (Peters), and just about fending off the advances of a randy soup kitchen co-worker.

They're rich, they're not particularly interesting and there are so many of them that it's nigh on impossible to invest any particular individual with emotional depth.

Director Fred Schepisi, who made Graham Swift's Last Orders such a satisfying drama, struggles here with what seems like a vanity project for the Douglas family.

As an insight into a dysfunctional brood, it staggers about a bit before hitting it's stride and, even then, often suffers from the wobbles.

The characters seem overburdened by personality traits whipped together to provide an indigestibly stodgy main course.

Michael Douglas pretty much sails through the saga unscathed and the best thing about it is probably Culkin, who demonstrates a handle on his overlooked character.

He also shows himself an unlikely streetfighter in probably the most unbelievable gang rumble you will see in a long while.

The final chorus of goodnights peeling around the Gromberg resident is enough to make the Waltons look like the family out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Tim Evans