It goes on the hunt for something of sustenance but comes home mostly empty-handed, and a good Josh Brolin performance is at least some kind of consolation prize.

Still, Hill's choices are mostly smart, and the film works well when throwing the three men - Brolin, McBride, and Jordan - together into set pieces recycled from better comedies.

It's a shame that such an idiosyncratic father/son story still feels so rote and recycled, suffering under the weight of its silly desire to constantly verbalize and explain even the tiniest of character moments.