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IMDbPro

The Good Son

  • 19931993
  • RR
  • 1h 27m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
43K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,750
869
Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son (1993)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer1:13
2 Videos
79 Photos
DramaThriller
A young boy stays with his aunt and uncle and becomes friends with his cousin, a boy of the same age who shows increasing signs of violent and psychopathic behavior.A young boy stays with his aunt and uncle and becomes friends with his cousin, a boy of the same age who shows increasing signs of violent and psychopathic behavior.A young boy stays with his aunt and uncle and becomes friends with his cousin, a boy of the same age who shows increasing signs of violent and psychopathic behavior.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
43K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,750
869
    • Joseph Ruben
    • Ian McEwan
  • Stars
    • Macaulay Culkin
    • Elijah Wood
    • Wendy Crewson
    • Joseph Ruben
    • Ian McEwan
  • Stars
    • Macaulay Culkin
    • Elijah Wood
    • Wendy Crewson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 184User reviews
    • 59Critic reviews
    • 45Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:13
    Watch Official Trailer
    The Good Son
    Trailer 0:32
    Watch The Good Son

    Photos79

    Macaulay Culkin in The Omen (1976)
    Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son (1993)
    Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood in The Good Son (1993)
    Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son (1993)
    The Good Son (1993)
    The Good Son (1993)
    The Good Son (1993)
    Elijah Wood in The Good Son (1993)
    The Good Son (1993)
    The Good Son (1993)
    The Good Son (1993)
    The Good Son (1993)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Macaulay Culkin
    Macaulay Culkin
    • Henry
    Elijah Wood
    Elijah Wood
    • Mark
    Wendy Crewson
    Wendy Crewson
    • Susan
    David Morse
    David Morse
    • Jack
    Daniel Hugh Kelly
    Daniel Hugh Kelly
    • Wallace
    Jacqueline Brookes
    Jacqueline Brookes
    • Alice
    Quinn Culkin
    • Connie
    Ashley Crow
    Ashley Crow
    • Janice
    Guy Strauss
    • Arizona Doctor
    Keith Brava
    • Doctor in Blackport
    Jerem Goodwin
    • Factory Worker
    Andria Hall
    • Woman Reporter
    Bobby Huber
    • Axe Man
    Mark Stefanich
    • Ice Man
    Susan Hopper
    • Woman at Rescue
    Rory Culkin
    Rory Culkin
    • Richard in Picture
    Pui Fan Lee
    Pui Fan Lee
    • Child's Mother At Hockey
    • (uncredited)
    Christopher C. Murphy
    • Young Man Next to Swing Set at Park
    • (uncredited)
      • Joseph Ruben
      • Ian McEwan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood became very close friends during production, and remain so to this day.
    • Goofs
      When Henry and Mark are climbing the tree at the start of the film, a crew member can be seen, dressed all in black, helping Mark on to the platform.
    • Quotes

      [Susan walks alone with Henry in the woods to talk about Richard]

      Susan: Henry?

      Henry: Yes, Mom?

      Susan: You have to tell me the truth now. What happened the night Richard died?

      Henry: Don't you know?

      Susan: I'd like to hear it from you.

      Henry: I was downstairs playing.

      Susan: [Susan gets down in front of Henry's face] Henry, don't lie to me, all right? Just don't lie to me. Now you tell me... Did you kill Richard?

      Henry: What if I did?

      Susan: Well, um...

      Henry: What, Mom?

      Susan: We'll get you help.

      Henry: You don't look too good, Mom. Looks like you need the help.

      Susan: You have to trust me, Henry.

      Henry: No. No, I can't. You just want to send me away, don't you?

      Susan: Why, no. No, I don't.

      Henry: You wanna put me in one of those places.

      Susan: No, Henry.

      Henry: Well, I'd much rather die, you hear me? I'd much rather be dead!

      Susan: Henry! Henry, no!

      [Susan runs after Henry into the woods]

      Susan: Henry? Henry!

      Susan: [Susan runs to the cliff of the hill where Henry might've jumped off] Henry! Henry! Henry!

      Henry: [Henry comes walking up behind Susan] Looking for me, Mom?

      Susan: Oh, Henry.

      Henry: You really thought I was going to jump, huh? I guess you don't know me very well, Mom.

      [Henry runs to take a dash into Susan]

    • Alternate versions
      The 1995 UK video version was cut by 33 secs by the BBFC to edit shots of Henry and Mark dropping a lifelike human dummy into a stream of traffic to cause a motorway pile-up, as this was considered a dangerous imitable technique. The cuts were waived for the 2002 version.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Striking Distance/Into the West/The Age of Innocence/Household Saints/Baraka (1993)

    User reviews184

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Bad Reviews Indicate Really Frighting Concepts and not Bad Movie
    I was actually really surprised at the ratings of the film, so I looked at many of the reviews before putting mine down. Maybe I was missing some pretty horrible aspects to the movie. So I watched the movie again and I read the reviews. I think one of the interesting things was that people rated this movie really low because they didn't like the concept of an evil child or they added, there was no WHY concept to the reasons why the character did the things he did.

    I think I was mostly surprised at the "Why" concept. Did people really not understand that this kid felt really powerful controlling the fate of others? It was quite clear that the mean kid did not like being undermined. It was in my opinion very well introduced. At first, his enjoyment in his actions were very minor due to his first time. It seemed to me that the first time he performed his bad deeds to his brother, he might have actually been scarred or stunned. Because for a while when little Frodo enters the scene, nothing has actually happened to indicate he is a terrible child. Its not until his mother treats Frodo like her own child that Macually starts to use his will to force things the way he wants. I see similarities with how kids these days press their parents into getting what they want.

    I think its important to recognize the scene where little Frodo goes to the therapist and asks her about why someone could be bad for no reason, just because he likes to be bad. I think this is where people kind of go, "yeah, this movie is flawed, there's no such thing." But remember, little Frodo wasn't looking down the staircase at his mother hugging another son. Its all about perspective. It can be concluded that the bad son is probably the spoiled child, and acts up in extreme ways to get what he wants because it worked before. We have two polar characters. One character is completely helpless and his fate is controlled by the other characters in this movie, where there is Culkin, whom has deep control of his life and his wants.

    On another note, kids doing horrible things to animals or killing other kids is not a unheard of concept. In fact, there is evidence to suggest that there are certain mentalities that cannot be explained but diagnosed with mental disorders. People in our age have been brainwashed into thinking that kids are completely innocent in the world. Which is funny when you reflect how many times in your younger life you have laughed at someone and probably made them feel really bad, even though you didn't want to. As kids we actually hurt others more than we'd like to admit, we just choose not to admit it.
    helpful•96
    5
    • cubsckc
    • Jul 29, 2014

    FAQ7

    • What is "The Good Son" about?
    • Is "The Good Son" based on a book?
    • Did Henry really poison all the food in the refrigerator?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 24, 1993 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Minnesota, USA
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 27 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Stereo

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