This movie was a bomb. I thought it would be way more entertaining but my husband and I were surprised at just how bad it is. It's beyond predictable, have you ever seen a movie that tells you exactly what's going to happen before it happens? That's The Good Son for you. You can't feel suspense or be shocked at the outcomes when the dialogue gives everything away; for instance, Henry tells Mark he's going to hurt his sister so then he does, he tells Mark the sights off on his homemade gun implying he will succeed the next time he uses it and then does so shortly thereafter, he gives away the obvious possibility that he killed his kid brother within the first half hour of the movie. There's no craft to this writing, it comes off as incredibly lazy. Beyond that, there's a complete lack of believability too, like how no one intervened at the ice rink, they waited for two guys to show up with axes a little while later, or when the psychiatrist discusses Mark with Henry violating his privacy and abandoning their session for no reason? Like what professional would do any of the things she does? Why does Mark not put two and two together when dumping the dummy off the bridge? It would be more believable if he had been forced to do it against his will rather than just going along with it because he didn't know what was happening. The parents are terrible and don't even listen to Mark when he talks, they ignore him, it feels so cheap and forced. Also the bond between Mark and Henry feels unearned, there's no chemistry between them, when Henry does something evil it's not shocking or a betrayal of his character because they took no time to establish his character in the first place! And the ending is painfully lame. We kept talking about what should have happened throughout the film. The reveal that Henry killed Richard which technically never really happens, should've been way more intense than it was, and in the end she shouldn't have had to choose between her son and nephew. I imagine the ending like this: a cruel Henry admits to the murder outright, the shock would paralyze his mother, he tries to push her off the cliff but he fails and falls himself, while his mother tries to save him. She drops him in disgust Mark at best should've been looking on helplessly while being unable to reach them. So many missed opportunities with this film.
Review of The Good Son
