Following a trite formula laced with hackneyed dialogue is not to be recommended for a production intended to develop abiding interest in viewers, but this tiresome and weakly directed work does just that, with predictably lacklustre results. Terminally stricken by cancer, Ed Reece (Kirk Douglas) desires only to die in the bed wherein he was born, and the curmudgeonly old-timer is able to interest his estranged son Larry (Craig T. Nelson), notable chiefly for draft dodging and for abandonment of his wife and two children, in accompanying Ed to California, apparent location of the sought after bed, a pilgrimage contrary to the wishes of other members of the Reece family. As father and son wend their way westward, all the while barely maintaining a disquieted sense of filial comradeship, Ed's wife and other children, along with various in-laws, can only surmise at the route the pair is taking, at the same time vigorously squabbling among themselves. Director Tom McLoughlin vainly endeavours to establish a picaresque tone at the storyline center, but most of the film's sequences fall flat with mawkish dialogue to the fore, including an episode featuring a visit of Ed with an old flame, performed by Eileen Brennan. Reece clan members left behind call into service various law enforcement agencies in an attempt to halt the quixotic trek, while Ed tries to bring about a reconciliation between Larry and his forsaken spouse Connie (Bess Armstrong), as scenes of ostensible humorous intent are desperately non-comedic, one predictable event following closely upon another throughout this leaden affair. McLoughlin leads his cast in flaccid manner, viewer tedium increased by having supporting players standing listlessly about while principals exchange lines that are consistently pretentious and boring, although it must be stated that a weak script hampers any effort at organizational adroitness. Less agitation among the secondary Reece characters might have handily contributed to a less scrambled, inert plot line, one having a much-needed greater basis in those elements that foster narrative flow. As a member of the Reece tribe, Lee Garlington wins acting honours here despite a thinly written role. A Fremantle DVD release offers no extras but its visual as well as sound quality is each very high.
