Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Good Son Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 3, 2017

It’s interesting to watch “The Good Son” today, 24 years after its original theatrical release, which was pushed primarily as an opportunity to watch Macaulay Culkin, the cherubic star of “Home Alone,” play a villain at the tender age of 12. There’s no doubt curiosity fueled the feature’s so-so box office gross, and likely influenced many reviews at the time that highlighted the movie’s somewhat distasteful interest in the torment of children. Decades later, with Culkin permanently erased from pop culture consciousness, “The Good Son” lacks its most shocking element, emerging from the savagery of time as a tepid chiller with very little depth and a tedious concentration menacing faces from Culkin, who’s way out of his range with the teeny-weeny serial killer role. It would certainly make a fascinating double bill with “Home Alone,” but on its own, the effort is shallow and unremarkable.

After suffering through the loss of his mother, 12-year-old Mark (Elijah Wood) is sent to live with his Uncle Wallace (Daniel Hugh Kelly) for two weeks while his father, Jack (David Morse) flies to Japan to secure a life-changing business deal. Welcomed into the home by Wallace and his wife, Susan (Wendy Crewson), Mark is offered a distraction with their kids, Connie (Quinn Culkin) and Henry (Macaulay Culkin), with hopes the grieving pre-teen will find comfort in the company of children his own age. At first unsure about the deal, with also includes time in therapy, Mark eventually embraces Henry’s companionship, with the kids bombing around the town on the hunt for mischief. However, when innocent playtime and games of pretend turn into something darker, Mark is exposed to Henry’s inherent evil, stunned to discover the boy’s interest in hurting others, including members of his own family.

There’s a long tradition of movies that deal with the evil contained within children, which always presents filmmakers with a tonal challenge that’s difficult to master. Head in one direction, and the picture is too unpleasant to be enjoyed. Go the other direction, and it becomes unwelcome exploitation. Director Joseph Rubin (following-up “Sleeping with the Enemy”) puts in a noticeable effort to soften the rough edges of “The Good Son,” which makes a controversial choice by not identifying what makes Henry tick. There’s no history of abuse, no pregnancy issues, and no explanation of his end game. Instead, the picture keeps Henry a sociopath, but only just enough to set up the story, missing many steps of development to turn the boy into a proper antagonist. Henry’s no saint during “The Good Son,” but there’s not much groundwork laid for the menace, making it difficult to understand how the child could get away with so much without someone, somewhere identifying his issues.

It’s up to Mark to save the day, with the boy trying to understand what Henry’s problem actually is, watching wide-eyed as his new pal steals a smoke by a local well (a location that’s introduced as being important to the character, but never addressed in full), showcases a bolt gun in the confines of his special shed (eventually using it on a local dog), and openly wonders if Mark could fly if he was pushed from a great height. The writing establishes Mark’s troubled headspace over the death of his mother, but editing generally digs out the character’s mourning process, which includes a quick detour into the belief that his deceased mother lives again in Susan, setting up a “sibling” rivalry between Mark and Henry that never flowers in full. There are more half-realized scenes and confrontations to endure in “The Good Son,” which plays a little too fast and loose with the details of the damaged boys, while the adults are simplistically designed. Susan is particular trouble, lost in grief over the death of her infant son, giving the film an easy out when it comes to hesitation over Mark’s claims about Henry. Ruben often seems trapped between his need to thrill audiences and deal with a depraved child as a villain, ending up nowhere of interest, leaving it up to Elmer Bernstein to come up with a sufficiently active score, with the composer going above and beyond to inspire the moods of the effort, treating it like an epic.

The Good Son Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation has not been refreshed for the film's Blu-ray debut. It looks like an older scan, leading with colors that remain slightly bloodless, doing only a serviceable job with chilly locations and winter costuming. Skintones lack vibrancy and natural appeal. Detail is adequate but never remarkable, lacking encouraging sharpness, though close-ups and distances are preserved. Delineation lacks strength, having trouble with evening sequences, which offer mild solidification. Source is decent shape, without overt points of damage, but some debris is detected. Mild banding as well.

The Good Son Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD sound mix is led by Elmer Bernstein's score, which sounds commanding and full, offering compelling instrumentation and dramatic placement. Dialogue exchanges are clean and easy to follow, preserving violent outbursts and whispered threats. Atmospherics are engaging, detailing environmental changes, and sound effects are sharp. There is a small audio drop-out at the six minute mark on the left, but it's very brief.

The Good Son Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (22:56, HD) with director Joseph Ruben and cinematographer John Lindley tries to remain diplomatic about "The Good Son," with the picture's well-publicized production troubles largely avoided during the conversation, finding the pair focusing on their vision for the feature. Talk of locations and style dominates, with emphasis on the cliff battle during the climax, which required a move from Massachusetts to Minnesota to find the perfect area. Creative choices are highlighted, with rewrites changing elements of the story, and memories of Macaulay Culkin are shared, with Lindley recalling how the child star would regale Elijah Wood with tales from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Ruben also shares his "complicated" feelings for the finished project, with the material's darkness getting to him.

• Interview (15:51, HD) with actors Wendy Crewson and Daniel Hugh Kelly begins with casting memories, drawn to the compelling nature of the script and its unsavory elements. Crewson was a new mom during the shoot, dealing with the complication of breastfeeding while struggling for her life on the side of a cliff, and she's more open than anyone to mention the troubling situation with Culkin and his demanding father, Kit, but doesn't go into necessary detail, remaining vague while discussing "issues" and "outside forces." The pair highlights the challenges of working with kids, especially the Culkins, with Crewson believing young Quinn (who was allegedly forced on the production by Kit) didn't even want to be there in the first place.

• Interview (6:14, HD) with David Morse is an interesting "get," as the actor is barely in the film. Morse seems to understand this brevity as well, trying to come up with interesting information to share, including his hiring when Gary Sinise dropped out. Working near his childhood home proved to be a big plus for Morse, who discusses the history of mob influence on the unions in town. He's also careful to note the differences between Wood's warm family dynamic and the Culkins, who were less than welcoming. Morse closes by mentioning that he watches most movies he's in at least once. "The Good Son" is not one of them. Ouch.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:12, SD) is included.

The Good Son Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Good Son" eventually finds its way to an ending, laboring to deliver a little bang for the buck after limping through suspense sequences that feature Henry triggering a highway pile-up with a dummy, and trying to send his sister into icy waters while skating. While Wood does fine with his performance, Culkin is stiff as Henry, which was usually the case when the actor was away from the cinematic world of John Hughes. Culkin's not much of a threat, requiring the production to dig deep when summoning Henry's straightforward evil, and they don't put in the effort. "The Good Son" is lost somewhere between its desire to be a manipulative chiller and a deep inspection of psychological corruption, resulting in a movie that's more slippery than scary, missing critical weight when it comes to summarizing Henry's interest in offing everyone he knows.