Firstborn (1984)

A teen must protect his family when his mother's sinister new boyfriend begins exerting his authority in their home.

Director:

Michael Apted

Writer:

Ron Koslow

Stars:

Teri Garr, Peter Weller, Christopher Collet

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Teri Garr	...	Wendy
Peter Weller	...	Sam
Christopher Collet	...	Jake
Corey Haim	...	Brian
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Lisa
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Lee
Chris Gartin	...	Adam
James Harper	...	Mr. Rader
Richard Brandon	...	Dad
Gayle Harbor	...	Joanne
Ellen Barber	...	Wendy's Girlfriend
Richard E. Szlasa	...	Coach Gant
Beverly May	...	Mrs. Mercer
Brian Lima	...	Robby
J.D. Roth	...	Ken

Storyline

Because he's the oldest, Jake has been the man of the house, since his parents divorce. When Mom starts seeing Sam, who always seems to be trying some new way to get rich quick, and declares he's the man of the house now, Jake puts up with it. Until he discovers Sam's illegal activities.

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Plot Keywords:

drug | woman in jeopardy | ends with freeze frame | one word title | teenage boy | 

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Taglines:

Jake Livingston had to grow up fast...Because his mother didn't.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

After meeting each other on the set of this movie, Robert Downey, Jr. and Sarah Jessica Parker later dated, until they broke up in 1991.

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Quotes

Jake: Next time you come in my room, knock.
Sam: Next time you pass judgement on me, don't go whining to your mother like some chicken-shit wimp. Have the balls to come say it to my face.

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Connections

Referenced in Phil-American Boy (1997)

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Soundtracks

Gimme Some Lovin'
by Steve Winwood (as S. Winwood), Spencer Davis (as S. Davis) and Muff Winwood (as M. Winwood)
The Spencer Davis

User Reviews

Child's psychology.

First Born is good psychological exploration in the various signs of breakdown of kids dealing with tough family situations. Here, Christopher Collet (Prayer of the Rollerboys) is Jake Livingston, a fifteen year old kid who lives with his mom (Terri Garr) and younger brother, Brian (Corey Haim). And, things are fine for a while for Jake, despite his dad going to Montreal to marry his girlfriend, leaving Jake a tad sympathetic of his still single mother. But things quickly fall apart when his mom's new boyfriend, Sam (Peter Weller), enters the picture, and eventually moves in. While his mom has dated in the past, there is something about Sam that neither Jake nor Brian can tolerate. They can't figure out what their mother sees in this guy.

Sam is kind of a flake. He never gives too much information about his past. The longer that Sam stays, the worse things become. He starts getting violent towards the boy, he starts bringing drugs into the house, and Jake's mother eventually starts falling into the same dangerous patterns as Sam while neglecting her own boys who plead with her to realize what Sam is really all about. For the first born, Jake, this is not something he can ignore, and has the responsibility of finding a way to protect himself, his brother, and most of all, his mother.

This movie presents the kind of psychological breakdown kids may go through when faced with serious family issues. Before Sam arrived, Jake was a funny, easy going kid. He was a good student and spent a lot of time with his friends (one of whom was played by Robert Downey, Jr.) and girlfriend (Sarah Jessica Parker). Afterwards, both his and Brian's attitudes change for the worse. Jake becomes considerably thinner, irritable, and starts slacking academically. Likewise, Brian starts getting into a lot of fights in the schoolyard, beating up the kids he know he can win fights against. Plus, he hates coming home, and when he does, he spend much of the time locked in his room. It is a good film, too, to teach of the warning signs to parents, teachers, counselors, and so forth (Jake's dad couldn't be suspicious of anything was going on because he wasn't there to witness the changes in his sons).

I wish Christopher Collet had been in more movies. He appears again with Haim about six years later or so in the sci-fi movie, Prayer of the Rollerboys.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

First Born

Filming Locations:

85 Castles Drive, Wayne, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,606,214, 28 October 1984

Gross USA:

$6,250,994

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,250,994

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Jaffe-Lansing, Witt/Thomas Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1