Firstborn [Blu-ray]

Director: Michael Apted Michael Apted

Overview

A teenager and his kid brother spar with their mother's shady new boyfriend in this dramatic thriller from veteran British director Michael Apted. When her ex-husband remarries, Wendy (Teri Garr) feels despondent -- until she starts dating handsome, unctuous Sam (Peter Weller), an underemployed salesman with no shortage of big ideas. Excited to finally feel good about herself again, Wendy invites Sam to move in and offers to invest in his get-rich-quick schemes. None of this sits well with her sons, Jake (Christopher Collet) and Brian (Corey Haim), who remain unimpressed with Sam even after he convinces Wendy to buy Jake a motorbike. They're even less jazzed when Sam stops currying favor and turns disciplinarian even while pulling Wendy into his hard-partying lifestyle. Within a few months, Brian's on the verge of expulsion for picking fights at school, and even honor-role student Jake is mouthing off to his teachers. As for Wendy, she's too busy taking beatings and doing cocaine to notice that her family has fallen apart. It isn't until Jake gets wise to the industrial quantities of white powder squirreled away under the floorboards that he comes up with a plan to get Sam out of their lives forever. Although onetime Tiger Beat heartthrob Christopher Collet plays Firstborn's title role, the films' supporting cast is littered with actors whose stars would far eclipse his (Sarah Jessica Parker, Robert Downey Jr.) -- though in some cases only for a little while (Corey Haim).

Product Details

Release Date:	07/31/2012
UPC:	0887090041607
Original Release:	1984
Rating:	PG
Source:	Olive
Language:	English
Time:	1:43:00
Sales rank:	12,404

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Christopher Collet	Jake Livingston
Teri Garr	Wendy
Peter Weller	Sam
Corey Haim	Brian Livingston
Sarah Jessica Parker	Lisa
Robert Downey Jr.	Lee
Christopher Gartin	Adam
James Harper	Mr. Rader
Richard Brandon	Dad
Gayle Harbor	Joanne
Ellen Barber	Wendy's Girl Friend
Richard E. Szlasa	Coach Gant
Beverly W. May	Mrs. Mercer
Brian Lima	Robby
J.D. Roth	Ken
Larry Atlas	Stranger
Vebe Borge	Friend
Sarah Inglis	Jill
Christopher Russo	Beckman
Josh Hamilton	Brad
Joseph M. Costa	Headman
Jason Berger	Jeffrey
Thomas Daggett	Boy in Pizza Shop
Frank Ferrara Sr.	Driver of Car
Nole R. Cohen	Party Man
Christina Swing	Party Woman
Scott Wilder	Actor
Leslie Arnett	Actor
Linda Lee Arvidson	Actor
Bill Anagnos	Actor,Actor
Jery Hewitt	Actor
Michael Small	Composer

Technical Credits

Ron Koslow

Michael Apted	Director
Stanley R. Jaffe	Executive Producer
Ron Koslow	Producer,Screenwriter
Sherry Lansing	Executive Producer,Producer
Tony Thomas	Producer
Paul Junger Witt	Producer
Stanley Jaffe	Executive Producer,Producer

Editorial Reviews

Although it works fairly well as a straight drama about the emotional fallout of divorce, Firstborn proves far more enjoyable when viewed as a campy relic of cautionary '80s hand-wringing about broken families. Fresh off the success of Tootsie and Mr. Mom, Teri Garr once again scrambles gender roles in the non-comedic role of an insecure single mother going through her second adolescence. Whether sleepwalking through her parenting duties or blowing rails off a coffee table during a swingers' party, Garr brings just the right sense of unempowered bafflement to the part. Future Lost Boys and License to Drive star Corey Haim gets relegated mostly to damaged moppet mode, but teen idol also-ran Christopher Collet makes the most of his blue-eyed soulfulness and slightly androgynous good looks. Whether hanging with his forcefully sassy girlfriend (Sarah Jessica Parker), getting in touch with his masculinity on a brand-new dirt bike, or standing up passionately to a blowhard teacher, this kid's got "virile yet sensitive new-age guy" written all over him. As for Peter Weller, those angular cheekbones and hooded eyes just scream "seductive yet violent druggie" from the moment he appears. With suspense about his character's true intentions rendered moot by the actor's sinister brooding, the audience can just sit back and wait for the inevitable retribution reel -- and lay odds on whether that dirt bike will be involved.

All Movie Guide - Brian J. Dillard