The Good Son
The Good Son
The Good Son is a 1993 psychological thriller/horror film directed by Joseph Ruben, with a screenplay written by novelist Ian McEwan. From the time that McEwan was contacted by 20th Century Fox to write the screenplay until the film was finally made took about 7 years, multiple directors, multiple starring actors, and several rewrites, before finally in 1991 the sets were started being constructed in Maine for the film. Then Kit Culkin, father of Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin said that he wanted his son in the film, to prove that he could do a darker role, rather than just the comedic roles that he had been previously cast in. Then Macaulay demanded that his real life younger sister Quinn should play his sister, and a photograph of his younger brother Rory was used for the photo of his characters deceased younger brother. Now with Macaulay Culkin added to the film, it set the filming back another year, due to him filming Home Alone 2. Fed up with the impositions that the demanding Macaulay Culkin was causing both the director assigned to the film, and the producer walked away. It was young Culkin that decided that Joseph Rubin would take over directing the film.
The Good Son is set in Arizona in the beginning, and then the story moves to Maine for the majority of the story. As it seems is all to common very little of the film was actually filmed in Maine, even though the bulk of the film is set there. The Arizona scenes are filmed in New Mexico, and most of the Maine scenes are shot in Massachusetts and Minnesota, though a few scenes were shot in Camden Maine. The rest of the scenes set in Maine were filmed in Gloucester, Annisquam, and Manchester by the Sea Massachusetts. Then the scenes on the cliff by the "ocean" were filmed on Palisade Head Minnesota on Lake Superior. I know that it is common to film scenes of films in places away from where it is set, but one serious continuity issue with this in this film is how noticable the differences in trees are in the scenes filmed in Minnesota, than they are in the scenes filmed in Maine and Massachusetts. I know that the cliffs on Lake Superior are perfect for their sheer heights, and look, but they would have been better finding a local cliff to use, which there are some that would be suitable in Maine, honestly there is no reason that this entire film shouldn't have been filmed in Maine. The reasoning more films are filmed here, are the remoteness to resources for the filmmakers, can lead to higher costs for a big production like this, so it is cheaper to film closer to Boston for the costal town scenes, because of how close it is to a major city, which is really unfortunate.
The Good Son stars Elijah Wood as Mark Evans, David Mose plays his father Jack Evans, and Ashley Crow plays as his mother Janice Evans (who dies at the start of the film). Right after the death of his mother, Mark's dad has to go to Japan for a business deal, and agrees with his brother that Mark should stay with him and his family in Maine. Mark's Uncle Wallace Evans is played by Daniel Hugh Kelly, his aunt Susan Evans is played by Wendy Crewson, his cousin Connie is played by Quinn Culkin, and his cousin Henry is played by Macaulay Culkin. While in Maine Mark also sees a therapist named Alice Davenport, played by Jacqueline Brookes. Soon after arriving in Maine Mark begins to realize that there is something very wrong with Henry.
With a budget between $17-20 million the film grossed $60.6 in the box-office, making it a success. However it received mostly negative reviews by the critics, and even today holds a relatively low ranking on sites like Rotten Tomatoes. I want to discuss this, because I don't agree with the critics on their negative views of the film, but I think I can understand where they are coming from. I think that in many ways the fact that the film was criticized as it was, was because of Macaulay Culkin being in it, and I think that for a few reasons. First of all Culkin at the time was seen by viewers as being a cute kid starring in family comedy films, so to see him as an evil sociopathic character was quite jolting for many viewers, in the same way that it was for viewers when they saw Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula after knowing him from films like Bill and Ted. That isn't to say that he was wrong for the role, but that sometimes viewers have a hard time separating the idea of the actor they have in their head with the character that they see on the screen. Another issue is that with such a big name actor attached to the film, there are less allowances given to a film by critics, like if something doesn't quite work, but it there are no big name actors attached, or there isn't as big of a budget, I feel like there is more forgiveness by viewers and critics. I remember when this film came out, and I remember watching it when it was aired on cable television, I remember that this film disturbed and scared me. I think Macaulay Culkin is perfect for this role, and honestly in my opinion he played the role so well, that even when I look at him in other roles like Home Alone, I see his character Henry, and I see this character that has no remorse, no empathy, or sympathy for others. I have met Macaulay Culkin, and I know that this is far from the truth, but he played this role so well, that rather than his previous roles ruining the effect of him as a truly evil character, I felt that he did it so well that it was hard for me to not see him as this evil character. That very simply line where he says "Mark, don't fuck with me" gives me chills, because coming out of any other character it is an empty threat, but he by this point had convinced me on his characters pure evil, and I honestly felt that simple threat very deeply. Though this film was very poorly received by the critics, I think that they would do well to revisit this film, and try to divorce themselves from their preconceived ideas of who Macaulay Culkin is as an actor, if you go into this seeing Kevin McCallister from Home Alone, then you might have a hard time taking him seriously, but that is like watching 1 Hour Photo and seeing Robin Williams as Mrs Doubtfire, but sometimes that is easier said than done. I wish that Macaulay Culkin would have done more horror films, because I truly loved him in this film.
What works for me in this film are the great cast, the I was deeply moved by both Elijah Woods' and Macaulay Culkin's characters. The way that Elijah Woods delivers that line "Do you believe in evil...well you should" was a truly haunting line. Woods character was easy to feel empathy for, the feeling that no one believes you no matter what you say or do, that the narcissistic sociopathic character of Henry has convinced everyone that he is the Good Son, and that Mark is the liar. I think we all have felt like that before, when someone tells lies and everyone believes them, and when we tell the truth they think that you are the liar instead...we can feel Mark's helpless and hopeless feeling as he tries to warn his aunt and uncle. So to me these characters work really well, also the setting works for the film too, taking a kid from the south east and transplanting him in New England where he doesn't really know anyone, (and for some reason hardly knows his relatives, which I found bizarre as his dad seems really close to his brother, why is it that Mark seems like such a stranger to his relatives if this is the case?).
What doesn't work for me, is some of the pacing and cuts from scene to scene are a little off, throwing off the flow of the film a bit, also there are a few untied loose ends through out the film that throw things off too, it feels almost like things were overly simplified and it ended up making it seem a little incomplete feeling. I also am thrown off by the continuity issues in the setting, as I mentioned before, the reason you can't shoot a scene meant to be in Maine in Minnesota, while the rest of the scenes are filmed in MA and ME, is because the vegetation isn't the same and it is very obvious in this film. Really other than that, I think that this really is a great and terrifying film.
If you have not yet seen The Good Son, I highly recommend checking it out, I think this film shows what amazing and talented actors both Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood are, even as such young children as they were in this film (both around 11-12 years old). Don't read any other reviews before watching this film, go into it with a clear head, and don't set preconceived expectations of what you are going to see based on the actors' other works, and I think that you might find this an interesting and terrifying film. This film makes one question, what exactly was wrong with Henry, what would his diagnosis be if his character were analyzed by a psychoanalyst? I think the what makes this film the most terrifying, is how real it feels, people like Henry DO exist, and it is terrifying the things that they can get away with, and it is terrifying realizing that there are people who feel no emotions towards others, they have no empathy, they have no regret, no remorse, they feel no guilt for doing the most horrible things, they do exist, and though some are found in psychiatric hospitals, the vast majority of them exist in the world alongside the rest of us, they could be your boss, or some person that you've met. I think this scares me so much because I am the direct opposite of this, I feel everything to the extreme, if I do something wrong I feel guilt and punish myself for the rest of my life, I feel everyone else's pain and emotions, and to think that there are people that feel nothing is a terrifying thought to me, who feels everything. So, yes, I highly recommend checking this film out, it is a great film.
The Good Son is set in Arizona in the beginning, and then the story moves to Maine for the majority of the story. As it seems is all to common very little of the film was actually filmed in Maine, even though the bulk of the film is set there. The Arizona scenes are filmed in New Mexico, and most of the Maine scenes are shot in Massachusetts and Minnesota, though a few scenes were shot in Camden Maine. The rest of the scenes set in Maine were filmed in Gloucester, Annisquam, and Manchester by the Sea Massachusetts. Then the scenes on the cliff by the "ocean" were filmed on Palisade Head Minnesota on Lake Superior. I know that it is common to film scenes of films in places away from where it is set, but one serious continuity issue with this in this film is how noticable the differences in trees are in the scenes filmed in Minnesota, than they are in the scenes filmed in Maine and Massachusetts. I know that the cliffs on Lake Superior are perfect for their sheer heights, and look, but they would have been better finding a local cliff to use, which there are some that would be suitable in Maine, honestly there is no reason that this entire film shouldn't have been filmed in Maine. The reasoning more films are filmed here, are the remoteness to resources for the filmmakers, can lead to higher costs for a big production like this, so it is cheaper to film closer to Boston for the costal town scenes, because of how close it is to a major city, which is really unfortunate.
The Good Son stars Elijah Wood as Mark Evans, David Mose plays his father Jack Evans, and Ashley Crow plays as his mother Janice Evans (who dies at the start of the film). Right after the death of his mother, Mark's dad has to go to Japan for a business deal, and agrees with his brother that Mark should stay with him and his family in Maine. Mark's Uncle Wallace Evans is played by Daniel Hugh Kelly, his aunt Susan Evans is played by Wendy Crewson, his cousin Connie is played by Quinn Culkin, and his cousin Henry is played by Macaulay Culkin. While in Maine Mark also sees a therapist named Alice Davenport, played by Jacqueline Brookes. Soon after arriving in Maine Mark begins to realize that there is something very wrong with Henry.
With a budget between $17-20 million the film grossed $60.6 in the box-office, making it a success. However it received mostly negative reviews by the critics, and even today holds a relatively low ranking on sites like Rotten Tomatoes. I want to discuss this, because I don't agree with the critics on their negative views of the film, but I think I can understand where they are coming from. I think that in many ways the fact that the film was criticized as it was, was because of Macaulay Culkin being in it, and I think that for a few reasons. First of all Culkin at the time was seen by viewers as being a cute kid starring in family comedy films, so to see him as an evil sociopathic character was quite jolting for many viewers, in the same way that it was for viewers when they saw Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula after knowing him from films like Bill and Ted. That isn't to say that he was wrong for the role, but that sometimes viewers have a hard time separating the idea of the actor they have in their head with the character that they see on the screen. Another issue is that with such a big name actor attached to the film, there are less allowances given to a film by critics, like if something doesn't quite work, but it there are no big name actors attached, or there isn't as big of a budget, I feel like there is more forgiveness by viewers and critics. I remember when this film came out, and I remember watching it when it was aired on cable television, I remember that this film disturbed and scared me. I think Macaulay Culkin is perfect for this role, and honestly in my opinion he played the role so well, that even when I look at him in other roles like Home Alone, I see his character Henry, and I see this character that has no remorse, no empathy, or sympathy for others. I have met Macaulay Culkin, and I know that this is far from the truth, but he played this role so well, that rather than his previous roles ruining the effect of him as a truly evil character, I felt that he did it so well that it was hard for me to not see him as this evil character. That very simply line where he says "Mark, don't fuck with me" gives me chills, because coming out of any other character it is an empty threat, but he by this point had convinced me on his characters pure evil, and I honestly felt that simple threat very deeply. Though this film was very poorly received by the critics, I think that they would do well to revisit this film, and try to divorce themselves from their preconceived ideas of who Macaulay Culkin is as an actor, if you go into this seeing Kevin McCallister from Home Alone, then you might have a hard time taking him seriously, but that is like watching 1 Hour Photo and seeing Robin Williams as Mrs Doubtfire, but sometimes that is easier said than done. I wish that Macaulay Culkin would have done more horror films, because I truly loved him in this film.
What works for me in this film are the great cast, the I was deeply moved by both Elijah Woods' and Macaulay Culkin's characters. The way that Elijah Woods delivers that line "Do you believe in evil...well you should" was a truly haunting line. Woods character was easy to feel empathy for, the feeling that no one believes you no matter what you say or do, that the narcissistic sociopathic character of Henry has convinced everyone that he is the Good Son, and that Mark is the liar. I think we all have felt like that before, when someone tells lies and everyone believes them, and when we tell the truth they think that you are the liar instead...we can feel Mark's helpless and hopeless feeling as he tries to warn his aunt and uncle. So to me these characters work really well, also the setting works for the film too, taking a kid from the south east and transplanting him in New England where he doesn't really know anyone, (and for some reason hardly knows his relatives, which I found bizarre as his dad seems really close to his brother, why is it that Mark seems like such a stranger to his relatives if this is the case?).
What doesn't work for me, is some of the pacing and cuts from scene to scene are a little off, throwing off the flow of the film a bit, also there are a few untied loose ends through out the film that throw things off too, it feels almost like things were overly simplified and it ended up making it seem a little incomplete feeling. I also am thrown off by the continuity issues in the setting, as I mentioned before, the reason you can't shoot a scene meant to be in Maine in Minnesota, while the rest of the scenes are filmed in MA and ME, is because the vegetation isn't the same and it is very obvious in this film. Really other than that, I think that this really is a great and terrifying film.
If you have not yet seen The Good Son, I highly recommend checking it out, I think this film shows what amazing and talented actors both Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood are, even as such young children as they were in this film (both around 11-12 years old). Don't read any other reviews before watching this film, go into it with a clear head, and don't set preconceived expectations of what you are going to see based on the actors' other works, and I think that you might find this an interesting and terrifying film. This film makes one question, what exactly was wrong with Henry, what would his diagnosis be if his character were analyzed by a psychoanalyst? I think the what makes this film the most terrifying, is how real it feels, people like Henry DO exist, and it is terrifying the things that they can get away with, and it is terrifying realizing that there are people who feel no emotions towards others, they have no empathy, they have no regret, no remorse, they feel no guilt for doing the most horrible things, they do exist, and though some are found in psychiatric hospitals, the vast majority of them exist in the world alongside the rest of us, they could be your boss, or some person that you've met. I think this scares me so much because I am the direct opposite of this, I feel everything to the extreme, if I do something wrong I feel guilt and punish myself for the rest of my life, I feel everyone else's pain and emotions, and to think that there are people that feel nothing is a terrifying thought to me, who feels everything. So, yes, I highly recommend checking this film out, it is a great film.
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