Yikes! Florian Zeller’s follow-up to his Oscar-winner in the best actor category The Father was marked as an awards season-front runner, but with a release timed to capitalise on gong glory, it’s unfortunate that this melodramatic family saga arrives before the UK public pretty much empty handed, aside from a Golden Globe nomination; ie pretty much empty handed. That dubious awards nom came for Hugh Jackman, always a lively performer, but while Jackman makes more than a decent fist of his character here, the earnest drama of The Son feels both too much and not enough.
Jackman plays Peter Miller, a NYC based businessman who has two sons; one with his new wife Beth (Vanessa Kirkby) and one now 17 with his ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern). Nicholas (Zen McGrath) is suffering from depression, and his ongoing mental health issues awaken dormant feelings in Peter, who looks to his own father (Anthony Hopkins in a dramatic one scene cameo) for support and advice. When that doesn’t prove to be a game-changer, Peter has to find some way to deal with his son’s alarming descent towards self-harm…
Zeller is a smart operator, as a playwright and a film-maker, but somehow the benefit of the doubt that worked for The Father works against him here. The Father, also co-written by the great Christopher Hampton, used a tricky flashback and flash-forward approach to allow us to experience dementia first hand; a cinematic gamble, but one that most audiences seemed to appreciate. The Son has a much more straightforward structure, but leads to an equally tricky bait and switch ending which cheats the audience and works badly against the seriousness of the whole film up to that point. The idea of generational trauma, of the sins of the father passed onto the son, are potent, but somehow The Son never connects with genuine emotional discord until the contrived ending.
The Son isn’t a complete bust at all; there are the strong performances that a top notch cast provide, and Jackman in particular gives it his all. But mental health issues, particularly for young people, are very hard for a big, glossy Hollywood film to feel honest about, and despite all the pretty pictures, The Son falls short on conveying whatever truth must have made Zeller’s play work. An acting master-class, sure, but when the central story doesn’t quite chime, it’s a whole lot of effort for a cause that’s badly flawed.
The Son is released UK wide on 17 February 2023. Thanks to Sony for access.
Saw the trailer for this at the theatre, and it made zero impression on me. I literally had no feeling about it, and I always have a strong reaction to trailers. Odd. The Cocaine Bear trailer on the other hand made quite an impression on me. Odd.
Nope.
Probably for the best.
Is he going to do a The Mother/sister/brother do you think?
Is the correct answer.
Haha it was a question not an answer but I’ll forgive your topsy turviness.
He has had a play called The Mother as you correct intuited.
It’s got to be done!
Or maybe a Cat Stevens biography…
That’s left field!
Father and Son?
Duh! Boing! Of course. slaps forehead.
If we’re going for biographies the real Cocaine Bear would be apt methinks.
The father, the son and the cocaine bear?
Hahahaha I’m gonna laugh at that for ages now.
I’d heard The Son was a bit of a disappointment after The Father – which I thought was brilliant.
This is rather less impressive.
No matter how you slice it, it sounds rather depressing. I realize every movie can’t be escapist, but do people really want to watch something like this?
That was exactly my though too. This one just seems like a slog. Combining Wolverine, Princess Margaret, and Renata Klein should bring fireworks!
But the fireworks do not happen!
Criminal misuse of great actors!
Agreed. But will there be prosecutions?
Let’s not revoke their film-making privlidges completely, but if you misue the cast the first time, NO SEQUELS WILL BE AUTHORIZED.
When will a special prosecutor investigate Magic Mike? When will we see justice? How long can we wait?
I want every classified document involved in the making of that film. We must ensure such a travesty never happens again.
I’m not happy until we raid Soderberg’s house. What did he know about how bad this film was, and when did he know it? Who enabled him?
No, they do not.
Which begs the question, what is wrong w movie people? (Is the power in the hands of producers, the director or studio stuffed shirts)
So we can agree on this issue. I watched the trailer for every new movie that had superbowl ads. None of them look good. It’s not because I’m a prune or a prude, they just don’t look like something that even my childish mind can enjoy. Movie people have grown distant from actual real humans, and their product is not up to scratch imho.
When movies turn from telling a good story (no matter the genre) to being just vanity projects, I don’t see how they can continue to survive.
People will turn elsewhere. No idea what the new thing might be, but video games sure do seem to make a lot of money these days.
I think the preachy quality of many films is a big issue; they’re also not preaching anything worthwhile, quite the opposite. But vanity is the issue; people handed the megaphone but with nowt to say.
Video games don’t seem to have the same disconnect with audiences…
You weren’t thrilled by the prospect of Cocaine Bear, surely the savior of cinema?
Or the what will surely be fresh takes in Gardians of the Galaxy 3, Fast 10, and Indiana Jones-who-knows-how-many?
There is something broken in cinema. Our choices are 3 hour corporate commericals meant to sell toys or tiny niche art house films. What has happened to original middlebrow ideas?
Nope. Films like Dead Poets Society just don’t get made anymore. These superbowl advertised film look awful. We’re still dealing with leftovers from pre pandemic times. We need solid, satisfying, intense big screen films under two hours; it’s what cinema does best. Franchises are for streaming, we need movies with movie stars.
Cocaine Bear looks like fun though…
Agree on everything but Cocaine Bear.
Is it supposed to be a comedy or horror film? I honestly couldn’t tell.
It’s not a part 5, so qualifies as quality, original cinema. For now…
You’re right but that’s damning with faint praise if I ever heard it!
I’d the correct answer.
Is the correct answer. I am not a prune.
OMG; Paddington3: Cocaine Bear?
Don’t even bring up the P word or your haters will be on you like the Cocaine Bear!
Cocaine Bear is the new Paddington. Fact!
Hmmm….so just what was in those sandwiches he ate with the dearly departed Queen Elizabeth?
Investigate Paddington’s laptop!
I think we have cracked the case in what possessed her to parachute into the Olympics. A cocaine laced marmalade sandwich!
I hear you, but the problem here is not Tatum himself. Why did Pettifer, Bomer and McConauhey know that the second and third film would be rotten? I hear by appoint a special master to consider all three Magic Mike films and whether the makers knew they were toxic before being injected into our bloodstreams?
And why is nobody willing to ask Hayek or McDowell about their role in this? Are they above the law? They must have known, they are ENABLERS!
I don’t know, I think Hayek is the biggest victim in this. Surely she watched the final cut and thought “ok my god what have I done.”
I do object to you saying MM2 was rotten. MM1 was great and had surprising depth. MM2 was what everyone thought MM1 would be – silly fun.
MM3 was like when witches try to bring back the dead and they resurrect a rotting zombie corpse.
Someone needs to pay for this.
So what do we do? I guess they’re hoping that we’ll forget that this atrocity ever happened. Let’s put aside any differences and agree that Magic Mike’s Last Dance should be his last, and that should be enshrined in federal law. Thandie Newton should be subpoenaed immediately, and forced to explain to Congress why she left the production. What is Merrick Garland doing about this? Does he think Magic Mike 3 is acceptable? In 2023?
You’re right, we must fight together for the greater good and not get distracted by petty squabbles. That’s what they’re hoping for.
I think there needs to be a total shutdown of Magic Mike filmmaking until we can figure out what the hell is going on.
Jail them all! No tolerance for substandard cash-in male stripper movies under my administration!
Cosign! Who needs a trial with such brazen guilt on display for all the world to see?
I’ve seen all the evidence I need to see. The whole of America saw what happened when Mike used his influence to sent a group of unnamed, uncharacterised strippers to the UK capital. He’s got questions to answer, and haiku’s are not acceptable…
OK guy and gal, best male strip in a movie?(Not counting Magic Mike)??
Donald Sutherland in Don’t Look now.
That’s a sex scene not a male strip!!
Does it need to be on stage? What are the criteria?
A movie where a chap strips, not necessarily all his clothes but a fair amount. On a stage, on a bar top, in a bedroom, anywhere really but no woman involved in the removal.
A Bad Mom’s Christmas.
Nope
I’m gonna go with The Full Monty! Of course!
Haha check out Christopher Walken in Pennies from Heaven, that guy is amazing, and he twirks!
Does he go all the way?
No but he doesn’t need to.
Michael Fassbender in Shame?
On my list.
Is a good answer.
Didn’t see The Dad so probably won’t see The Lad. When Jackman makes a fist of something do his claws spring out?
decent towards self-harm . . . groan
Descent, of course. The Holy Ghost will be the third film in the trilogy, and sees Wolverine square up to Swamp Thing, or something.