Firstborn (1984)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Michael Apted

Writer:

Ron Koslow (writer)

Release Date:

26 October 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Fifteen. At a time when most kids need to dream, Jake Livingston had to wake up.

Plot:

Because he's the oldest, Jake has been the man of the house, since his parents divorce. When Mom starts seeing Sam...

Plot Keywords:

Brother | High School | Drugs | Railroad Yard | Backtalking To Schoolteacher

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Teri Garr	...	Wendy
Peter Weller	...	Sam
Christopher Collet	...	Jake Livingston
Corey Haim	...	Brian Livingston
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Lisa
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Lee
Christopher Gartin	...	Adam
James Harper	...	Mr. Roder
Richard Brandon	...	Alan Livingston (Dad)
Gayle Harbor	...	Joanne
Ellen Barber	...	Wendy's Girlfriend Pat
Richard E. Szlasa	...	Coach Gant
Beverly May	...	Mrs. Mercer
Brian Lima	...	Robby
J.D. Roth	...	Ken

Also Known As:

First Born
Moving In (Europe: English title) (video title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bronxville High School - 177 Pondfield Road, Bronxville, New York, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Quotes:

Jake Livingston: You don't want the class to know, you want to be the only one with the answer! You want us to think you're the coolest, hippest... if you're that great, why are you trying so hard to impress us?

Soundtrack:

Gimme Some Lovin'

A downer, but I liked it.

When I was a kid, I always enjoyed watching movies and TV shows about screwed-up youth, and this did the trick nicely. Christopher Collett (who, at the time, cornered the market in 'abused offspring' roles - remember RIGHT TO KILL?), Teri Garr and Peter Weller are superb as the dysfunctional family unit from Hell, and despite the film's tendency to go off the rails and slip into DEATH WISH-style melodramatics (especially in the deeply unpleasant climactic 'payback' scenes), FIRSTBORN is a largely credible and believable glimpse into the hopelessness of a bad situation. I could definitely relate to the on-off battle between Collett and his abusive, smart-alec 'lightweight' of an English teacher, having gone through similar trials myself. And after hearing the Physical Education instructor's chilling lecture, I always dry myself off properly after taking a shower!

Yes, I probably remember this film for all the wrong reasons, but I'd love to see it again; as I recall, it was a late-night offering on the BBC in the late eighties, and it's probably been deemed too traumatic to repeat. Please, someone issue it as a budget-range VHS!