Grand Canyon

Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, Grand Canyon details the exploits of several characters, including Kevin Kline’s Mack, Danny Glover’s Simon, and Steve Martin’s Davis, over the course of a few especially tumultuous months. Filmmaker Kasdan, armed with his and Meg Kasdan’s screenplay, delivers a solid (and occasionally gripping) ensemble drama that grows more and more absorbing as it unfolds, as the movie, which kicks off with a striking opening stretch involving Mack’s disastrous decision to take a detour, benefits from its raft of compelling subplots and assortment of uniformly charismatic performances – with, in terms of the latter, Kasdan eliciting top-notch work from a first-class roster of actors (and it doesn’t hurt, either, that there exists palpable chemistry between the narrative’s friends and couples). The picture’s mostly engrossing atmosphere is perpetuated and heightened by its ongoing emphasis on compelling conversations and electrifying interludes, and although Kasdan does stumble here and there (it’s difficult to see the value in the silly dream sequences, for example), Grand Canyon progresses into a superb third act that packs a far more emotionally-resonant punch than one might’ve initially anticipated – with the end result a predominantly stellar endeavor from an impressively reliable filmmaker.

***1/2 out of ****