Getting Even With Dad

Widower Ray Gleason is an ex-con who wants to go straight. Timmy is his estranged son who wants to have a father again. When the boy's aunt dumps him on Ray's doorstep, Timmy finds that dad is less interested in looking after him than in carrying out the final heist that will pay for his bakery business, so he videos the crime, hides the loot, and threatens to blow the whistle if father and son don't spend some time together. Hence, the way is paved for an ending visible from a distance of some miles. The script is formula and so is the direction, which leaves the acting. According to the credits, Danson had an acting coach, but he's a warm enough presence to be able to carry a film as slight as this without needing one; instead the coach should have worked with Culkin, who can't even eat a sandwich convincingly.