Good Son

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Buy This Item Good Son by 20th Century Fox  Available from Amazon  $9.98  on 8-30-2008     Evil resides in an unexpected place in this gripping, suspense-filled drama. Macaulay Culkin stars as Henry, an angelic-looking boy who seems loving and loyal to his parents, sister and friends. Only his cousin Mark (Elijah Wood) sees what lurks behind Henry's smile- secret thoughts and a love of deadly games. But when Mark tries to warn Henry's family, they won't believe him, leaving the terrified youngster alone to battle his jealous, menacing cousin. Reader Reviews "The Good Son" was the edgy '90s "thriller" in which Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin channeled his demon seed equivalent. It has an oddly good pedigree, with Ian McEwan (who atoned for this with "Atonement",another story about a malicious child) as its screenwriter and Elmer Bernstein,a mainstay of '50s/'60s classics, composing the score. It's a B movie that has a soundtrack and a screenplay too good for it. "Good Son" has grieving little Mark (Elijah Wood) sent from the beautiful land of New Mexico to the Maine wilderness to live with his mischievous cousin Henry (Macaulay Culkin),Henry's sister Connie (Quinn Culkin) and his uncle Wallace (the actor is currently starring as the homophobic,homicidal Col. Mayer on "As the World Turns",soap fans!) Mark learns that Henry is a creepy fellow with a morbid fascination with death. Culkin is quite amazing as the charismatic,manipulative Henry. He&his real-life sister have a realistic dynamic. There are many suspenseful moments, and the soundtrack is excellent! On the other hand,"Good Son" has some weak spots. Most significantly,its lead. When Wood tells his shrink about evil's existence, he says it so blandly he's outdoing then-90s blandfest Keanu Reeves. His stock response to Culkin's evil acts is a blank look. He's got the requisite B-movie Prince Valiant 'do. He spends the movie being wide-eyed,hiding,and running (there,I have "Fellowship" summed up if you don't have three hours) Usually child stars aren't catatonic; on the whole,they're hammy or sappy. It's quite astounding that once Wood came of age and starred in a certain 9 hour epic involving orcs&evil bling,he'd inspire tons of racy fanfiction,because he's homely in "Good Son." It's a "thank God for puberty and Peter Jackson!" film. "Good Son" is riveting in its badness. The "Mr. Highway" scene-in which Henry causes a massive accident-is so ludicrous it's laughable. Henry's snarkiness keeps the movie going. This film deserves a MST3K treatment,as another reviewer noted. "The Good Son" gets three stars for Culkin's standout performance,the few moments of suspense,it's a movie so bad,it's good.

Good Son Available from Amazon Price: $9.98 Updated on 8-30-2008.

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