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Macaulay Culkin, Elijah Wood, Wendy Crewson, David Morse, Daniel Hugh Kelly ... see more see more... , Jacqueline Brookes , Quinn Culkin , Bobby Huber , Ashley Crow , Deborah Aquila

Macaulay Culkin tries for a change of pace playing a schoolyard psychotic in The Good Son. When 12-year-old son Mark (Elijah Wood) is his mother's side as she's dying of cancer, she makes him promise ... read more read more...her that she won't die. When she does die, Mark is consumed with grief, as well as guilt that he couldn't keep his promise. Mark's father Jack (David Morse) has to go away for a two week business trip to Tokyo shortly after his wife's death. Thinking that the blustery Maine environment will do him good, he drops Mark off with the family of his Uncle Wallace (Daniel High Kelly). At first, Mark is withdrawn, but soon he begins to warm to his Aunt Susan (Wendy Crewson), his cousin Connie (Quinn Culkin), and particularly his cousin Henry (Macauley Culkin). Mark and Henry pal around together, but Mark begins to notice some of Henry's ideas of fun differ significantly from his own. For example, Henry demonstrates his homemade crossbow by killing the neighbor's dog, and shows Mark his dummy (called "Mr. Highway") that he drops from an overpass onto a highway, causing a 10-car pileup. Mark begins to suspect that the death of Henry's baby brother wasn't an accident, and it appears Henry is now making plans to rub out his sister. But when Mark tries to warn Henry's parents of their son's homicidal tendencies, they refuse to listen to him. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Flixster Users

57% liked it

51,115 ratings

Critics

24% liked it

25 critics

R, 1 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: Joseph Ruben

Release Date: September 24, 1993

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DVD Release Date: February 3, 2004

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Stats: 2,324 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,324)

  • 3niR
    June 8, 2010
    3niR
    Macaulay Culkin is really a good actor. This movie was really good.
  • smith44
    March 15, 2010
    smith44
    Macaulay Culkin is creepy
  • ythelastman89
    November 24, 2009
    ythelastman89
    This was a great performance piece for Elijah Wood and Macaulay Culkin. They were both extremely well polished and realistic. The story is convincing and effective mainly due to their performances. The plot is very creepy and a well done child horror.
  • flixsterman
    October 1, 2009
    flixsterman
    It pains me (a little) to say this, as much as I like Elijah Wood, but this one blew chunks. In all fairness, it's not Elijah's fault. This just doesn't work on any level.
  • stormyweather980
    September 11, 2009
    stormyweather980
    Mark (Elijah Wood) is a boy who's mother has just died. His dad carries him over to stay with his aunt, uncle, and cousins for a couple of weeks right after her death. At first, all seems to be going great. But soon, Mark will find out that his cousin, Henry (Macaulay Culkin), is... read more a 12-year-old psychotic killer. Just one of the things that Henry does is make an attempt to kill his little sister. For the longest time, Mark is the only one that knows Henry's true side.
    For the first and only time, Macaulay Culkin turned away from playing the mischievous, but likable kid that he portrayed in the "Home Alone" movies, to being a cynical and murderous 'bad guy' on the loose in "The Good Son." Just like Culkin did in "Home Alone," he does a GREAT job in "The Good Son." As a matter of fact, in my opinion, he does his best job of acting in this one, and Elijah Wood does equally as good of a job.

    A lot of people don't like "The Good Son" because it's so controversial. A 12-year-old boy having a murderous personality like that is controversial, but this day in age, there's a good deal of 12-year-olds that are probably even worse. Also, the ending set up tons of flames from many of the critics and the viewers alike, and when you see it, you'll see why.

    So why did I like "The Good Son"? Well, because it was unbelievably suspenseful and compelling after I found out what kind of person that Henry was, and the fact that he has almost everybody fooled about his 'true' side. If you can't stand the idea of a 12-year-old murderer portrayed in a movie or if you can't stand the controversy, then don't buy this film. But if you like suspenseful and compelling films, then I recommend it all the way. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001. Culkin rocked at this age.
  • ceWEBrity
    August 6, 2008
    ceWEBrity
    Just a formulaic second-rate thriller, bereft of originality and insight and marred by a totally appalling ending. This shit is bad, and barely in a fun way - most of it is just mean. A lot of that cruelty is dispelled by Macaulay Culkin's total inability to play sociopath, thoug... read moreh. He just kind of raves like a lunatic, capable of abstract thinking and ludicrous dialogue far beyond the call for even a preternaturally intelligent child. Whoever wrote this hasn't listened to a pre-teen talk in 20 years.

    As I was watching, I wondered who the audience for this was. It's a generic thriller, R-rated, and the protagonist and antagonist are eight year old children. Who the fuck was going to see this? But go figure - it pulled in $60 million worldwide. Roger Ebert wrote that young audiences were interested in seeing the movie because it was Macaulay fuckin' Culkin of Home Alone fame, so maybe there's my answer. Kids shouldn't have been watching this movie. Or maybe they should have, as some sort of brutal lesson in good behavior. "Don't be mean to people or your mom will drop you off a fucking cliff!"

    Weirder still: Ian McEwan wrote the fucking screenplay!!! Of course, the original product was horrifically butchered by the Hollywood octopus into easily digestible thriller fare. Go figure.
  • TheGame90
    February 18, 2008
    TheGame90
    Macaulay Culkin won my respect in this one....he is such a sinister
  • superclerk25
    January 7, 2008
    superclerk25
    Pretty creepy movie if you ask me. Culkin drops the cute kid act that we saw in Home Alone and becomes a child murderer in this one.
    His performance is excellent and you believe that this kid will do you in if you so much as look at him funny.
    Wood comes in with a good job as th... read moree kid who figures out that this kid is nuts.
    The setting for the flick lends itself to the mood of being some what alone in the world and having to deal with a killer.
  • puffchunk
    October 23, 2007
    puffchunk
    The book is better, but when isn't it? it's still fun to watch Macaulay Culkin as an evil kid.
  • FilmFanatik
    May 6, 2007
    FilmFanatik
    Quite possibly Macauly Culkin's finest hour.

View All The Good Son Reviews

Critic Reviews

Brian Lowry
July 25, 2007
Brian Lowry, Variety

This peculiar thriller doesn't deliver enough jolts to leave the audience screaming. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
July 25, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

There's wonderful use made of a Maine port town, and Ruben gets a dizzying thrill or two out of overhead shots, but the conceptual overload finally prevents this from coming together. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

The Good Son has a handsome, scenic look that sustains interest, and a suspenseful ending that is quite literally gripping. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Where were the responsible adults when this thing was made? Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

At best, this film is strictly cable fare. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie is a creepy, unpleasant experience, made all the worse because it stars children too young to understand the horrible things we see them doing. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

You sit there laughing at Culkin's best comedy ever. If only this movie wasn't supposed to be a horror picture. Full Review

Austin Kennedy
May 22, 2012
Austin Kennedy, Sin Magazine

I guarantee you this would have been 100% more effective if Wood and Culkin switched roles Full Review

July 25, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A second-rate thriller with first-rate production values. Full Review

Derek Adams
February 9, 2006
Derek Adams, Time Out

A summer camp classic. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Good Son Trivia

  • Macaulay Culkin plays a young child showing signs of psychotic behaviour   Answer »
  • Which actor has starred in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Good Son and Oliver Twist?  Answer »
  • How did Henry cause a huge traffic accident in "The Good Son"?  Answer »
  • What 1993 movie did both Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood star in, about a 12-year-old boy controlled by his evil cousin?  Answer »
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