Stop me if you've heard this one: a deadbeat dad and his troubled, estranged son are forced into a reluctant cross-country road trip, only to reconnect through a series of hilarious misadventures. Yep. Not only is the cliché already trod to death, but it's a road Walken himself had already gone down only four years prior with Around the Bend (this time subbing out Michael Caine for Alessandro Nivola, aka, 'the poor man's Sam Rockwell'). Creativity is not the name of the game here.

Still, $5 a Day manages to circumvent its feeble premise with surprisingly disarming sweetness and charm aplenty, even managing to raise a few unreserved laughs here and there. Walken and Nivolo weave through a series of free samples, promotions, time shares, idle theft, falsified birthdays, and a fun and slinky Sharon Stone cameo, in the interests of keeping as low an economic footprint as possible (some of their escapades, I'm ashamed to admit, I'm sorely tempted to try - that hotel room service theft gag looks mighty doable...) and to become, in Walken's words, "copacetic again," even as his pathological lying leaves the viewer idly guessing throughout as to his motivations.

Their adventures may not reinvent the wheel, but they grow increasingly pleasant over time. Screenwriters Tippi and Neal Dobrofsky work in just enough wacky lines to keep things lively (the scene where a tipsy Nivola attempts to explain to a nonplussed Walken how a question mark is a hieroglyph representing the ass of a cat walking away disapprovingly alone is one for the ages). It's deceptively easy to ride alongside them, and even as the plot curves to inevitably digging into their past trauma and fractured relationships, it's handled in an impressively level and truthful fashion.

If anything, the film deserves some metatextual cudos for the astonishing amount of unabashed product placement it sneaks in, which likely substantiated its tiny indie budget. I'm serious - in a single shot alone, they park their 'Sweet 'n Low-mobile' in an IHOP parking lot across from a Chevron, with a McDonald's and Days Inn in the background. In any other film this blatant excess would be gross, but here the depth of field alone is kind of impressively resourceful.

Nivola, contrary to my earlier dismissal, does some very good work here, carrying the emotional arc of the story with a subtle affability. Still, there's no question that $5 a Day exists as a Walken vehicle above all else, and he redefines the term 'charming the pants off' his audience here. Namely, because he seems to spend roughly half the movie with his pants off. Here, he dusts off his 'charismatic loser dad' schtick he could probably do in his sleep by now. Still, he's having such an absolute ball that it's hard not to share in his fun. When you least expect it, he pulls the rug out from you by locking down into almost panic attack levels of silent dread when confronted with questions his denial simply prevents him from answering. Then, within moments, he's back to bounding, dancing, grinning, and unexpectedly yelling joyful battle cries like "Yabbo!!" and "Wahaaaa!!" throughout. It's a deceptively nuanced performance amongst the goofy posturing, and he's so lovable throughout that it's no wonder that even Nivola seems to break his character's righteously indignant grumpiness strangely early, unable to keep a huge grin off his face throughout.

$5 a Day's broad comedy and inspirational strokes may not look like much on the surface, but it's brimming with indie sweetness, and thoroughly hard to dislike, cliché or not. Walken is its lynchpin, in a perfect cocktail of his most charismatic, wacky, sombre, cavorting, and remorseful leitmotifs that somehow blend into an individual that still feels fresh and heartfelt amidst the Walken tics. A low key but surprisingly enjoyable hidden gem worth dredging up amidst the copious dreck occupying the latter half of Walken's career, if only to see him firing on all four cylinders here.

-6.5/10

Christopher Walken and Alessandro Nivola are Father and Son scheming and scamming their way from New Jersey to New Mexico. Much like "House of Games" and "The Grifters", this road odyssey plays like a house of mirrors. In other words, very little is exactly as it seems. Walken is estranged from his son because his irresponsibility landed Nivola in jail. Together they mend fences, while still working the angles along the road. Rarely have two characters been so unsympathetic, and yet somewhat sympathetic at the same time. If you enjoy road movies about rebuilding relationships, "$5 a Day" just might work for you. I know I enjoyed the ride. - MERK

Irrepresibly wily'n'rascally small-time con man Nat Parker (a marvelously sly, vibrant, and charismatic performance by Christopher Walken) attempts to reconnect with his troubled and estranged failure son Ritchie (an excellent portrayal by Alessandro Nivola) by forcing the reluctant lad to accompany him on a cross country road trip. During their journey the duo encounter a colorful array of folks and make amends while Nat pulls off a series of brazen and ingenious schemes. Director Nigel Cole, working from a smart and sweet script by Neal and Tippi Dobrofsky, relates the funny, poignant, and entertaining story at a snappy pace, maintains a winningly breezy'n'quirky tone throughout, offers an amusing sense of inspired low-key and likable oddball humor, and pulls off a pitch-perfect blend of fresh comedy and affecting drama. The sturdy acting from the able cast rates as a real substantial plus: Walken and Nivola display a disarmingly natural and engaging chemistry in the leads, with top-rate support from Sharon Stone as sassy former beauty queen Dolores Jones, Amanda Peet as Ritchie's fed-up girlfriend Maggie, Peter Coyote as shifty rich jerk Burt Kruger, and Dean Cain as amiable sales rep Rick Carlson. Moreover, the nicely moving theme about reconciliation gives this picture a special extra heart, charm, and warmth. Kudos are also in order for Peter Donahue's smooth jazzy score and Alex Wurman's sunny cinematography. A pleasingly loopy little delight.