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The Good Son

  • 19931993
  • RR
  • 1h 27m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
41K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,881
241
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son (1993)
Watch {VideoTitle}
Play trailer1:13
2 Videos
74 Photos
  • Drama
  • Thriller
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
41K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,881
241
  • Director
    • Joseph Ruben
  • Writer
    • Ian McEwan
  • Stars
    • Macaulay Culkin
    • Elijah Wood
    • Wendy Crewson
Top credits
  • Director
    • Joseph Ruben
  • Writer
    • Ian McEwan
  • Stars
    • Macaulay Culkin
    • Elijah Wood
    • Wendy Crewson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 180User reviews
    • 56Critic reviews
    • 45Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 2 nominations

    Videos2

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

    Photos74

    The Good Son (1993)
    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)
    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
    • Henryas Henry
    Elijah Wood
    Elijah Wood
    • Markas Mark
    Wendy Crewson
    Wendy Crewson
    • Susanas Susan
    David Morse
    David Morse
    • Jackas Jack
    Daniel Hugh Kelly
    Daniel Hugh Kelly
    • Wallaceas Wallace
    Jacqueline Brookes
    Jacqueline Brookes
    • Aliceas Alice
    Quinn Culkin
    • Connieas Connie
    Ashley Crow
    Ashley Crow
    • Janiceas Janice
    Guy Strauss
    • Arizona Doctoras Arizona Doctor
    Keith Brava
    • Doctor in Blackportas Doctor in Blackport
    Jerem Goodwin
    • Factory Workeras Factory Worker
    Andria Hall
    • Woman Reporteras Woman Reporter
    Bobby Huber
    • Axe Manas Axe Man
    Mark Stefanich
    • Ice Manas Ice Man
    Susan Hopper
    • Woman at Rescueas Woman at Rescue
    Rory Culkin
    Rory Culkin
    • Richard in Pictureas Richard in Picture
    Pui Fan Lee
    Pui Fan Lee
    • Child's Mother At Hockeyas Child's Mother At Hockey
    • (uncredited)
    Christopher C. Murphy
    • Young Man Next to Swing Set at Parkas Young Man Next to Swing Set at Park
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Joseph Ruben
    • Writer
      • Ian McEwan
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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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 2 young boys 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 reviews180

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Very well made psycho-thriller
    THE GOOD SON is one of many psycho-thrillers that were made in the early 1990s in the wake of the success of the likes of FATAL ATTACTION, BASIC INSTINCT and THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE. Most of these could be easily categorised by the type of person who was the villain, i.e. 'bad cop' (UNLAWFUL ENTRY), 'bad neighbour' (PACIFIC HEIGHTS), 'bad husband' (SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY). THE GOOD SON is, as you'd guess from the title, about a bad kid.

    Said kid is Macauley Culkin, a wonderful piece of casting against type by the producers. So long we've had to put up with Culkin in his sickly-sweet roles but here he portrays somebody very different indeed and, inevitably, this turns out to be the best performance of his career. Culkin is excellent, truly portraying a character beyond his years, and he helps to make the movie.

    It helps that everything else is right, too. The script focuses on realism throughout, and there's plenty of characterisation to make the viewer feel truly grounded in the experience. Aside from the ending, things don't get over the top with the style or direction. There are a handful of set-pieces which really work (like the bit with the bridge), and some incredible stunt work that left me breathless, like the whole bit with the tree house. As somebody with a fear of heights, such moments turned my legs to jelly.

    Elijah Wood made a point of appearing in plenty of twee kid's films during the 1990s (FREE WILLY anyone?) but this is one of his most interesting movies from that decade. David Morse is typically good as Wood's father. The script stays grounded throughout, the psychological insight is as interesting as the thriller aspects of the story, and it all finishes in a satisfying way that goes against Hollywood convention. Good stuff.
    helpful•8
    3
    • Leofwine_draca
    • Jul 3, 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)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Хороший син
    • Filming locations
      • Minnesota, USA
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $17,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $44,789,789
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $12,520,305
      • Sep 26, 1993
    • Gross worldwide
      • $60,613,008
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 27 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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