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The Good Son

Play trailer 2:09 Poster for The Good Son R 1993 1h 27m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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26% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 54% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Mark (Elijah Wood), a young boy who loses his mother, must stay with his extended family while his father is away on business. Mark becomes acquainted with his cousin Henry (Macaulay Culkin). However, the extent of Henry's depravity becomes clear when Mark sees him kill a neighbor's dog and intentionally create a traffic pileup on the highway. After a supposed mishap on an icy pond with Henry's sister Connie (Quinn Culkin), Mark tries to reveal Henry's crimes before it's too late.
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The Good Son

The Good Son

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Critics Consensus

The Good Son is never good enough to live up to its unsettling potential, failing to drum up much suspense and unable to make Macaulay Culkin a credible psychopath.

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Critics Reviews

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Brian Lowry Variety 07/25/2007
This peculiar thriller doesn't deliver enough jolts to leave the audience screaming. Go to Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 07/25/2007
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. Go to Full Review Derek Adams Time Out 02/09/2006
A summer camp classic. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 08/10/2022
2/4
...sporadically watchable yet mostly (and curiously) inert... Go to Full Review Malcolm Johnson Hartford Courant 06/06/2018
Unhappily, although Ian McEwan's screenplay has its strong points, and Ruben skillfully builds tension and suspense, this updated, gender-bent Bad Seed falters at key points. Go to Full Review Barbara Shulgasser Common Sense Media 09/29/2017
3/5
Creepy '90s thriller about murderous kid has violence. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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brenden F @RT96804812 5h This movie really devastated me a lot, like you got a sweet little funny boy from Home Alone and they turned him into a killer child. See more Tim M @tgmacman Mar 23 Macaulay Culkin successfully breaks typecasting as an antagonist, but The Good Son remains too narratively contrived and formulaic to be truly effective. See more Astral Spore T @Ineffable Mar 15 Ignore the critics. This was a good movie See more Steven F. @SteveGotScored Feb 11 One of the most underrated thrillers of all time! See more TheMovieSearch R @TheMovieSearch Jan 3 The Good Son is an okay but ultimately forgettable film that benefits most from its casting. Pairing Macaulay Culkin with Elijah Wood was a smart move at the time, especially coming off Culkin’s massive success in Home Alone. Seeing him play against type as a violent, manipulative child was effective and remains the film’s most memorable element. The acting overall is solid, and there’s clear effort put into character development and tone. However, the screenplay never fully comes together. Something feels missing, as if the story is never quite as connected or impactful as it wants to be. The plot moves along, but it lacks the emotional or narrative punch needed to leave a lasting impression. That’s the film’s biggest issue: it’s not bad, just extremely easy to forget. You watch it, acknowledge it as decent, and then it fades from memory shortly after. While it’s often highlighted within the horror community, it doesn’t quite earn that lasting recognition. See more Joy B. @9mr_0 Dec 29 فلم جيد و قصة جيده نسبيا اخراج و تصوير جيد See more Read all reviews
The Good Son

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Cast & Crew

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Joseph Ruben

Director

Macaulay Culkin

Henry Evans

Elijah Wood

Mark Evans

Wendy Crewson

Susan Evans

David Morse

Jack

Daniel Hugh Kelly

Wallace Evans

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The Good Son

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The Good Son

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Movie Info

Synopsis Mark (Elijah Wood), a young boy who loses his mother, must stay with his extended family while his father is away on business. Mark becomes acquainted with his cousin Henry (Macaulay Culkin). However, the extent of Henry's depravity becomes clear when Mark sees him kill a neighbor's dog and intentionally create a traffic pileup on the highway. After a supposed mishap on an icy pond with Henry's sister Connie (Quinn Culkin), Mark tries to reveal Henry's crimes before it's too late.
Director
Joseph Ruben
Producer
Joseph Ruben, Mary Ann Page
Screenwriter
Ian McEwan
Distributor
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 24, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$44.4M
Runtime
1h 27m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
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